Book One: The Apple of Discord
by Grandmaster4
Summary: Delphi Academy is considered the safest place on Earth for demigods in the year 2030. But when a potential demigod is abducted by an enigmatic group called the Swords of Damocles, new half-bloods and new foes will collide, as each side seeks to recover the lost artifact that caused the original schism between Greek and Roman demigods centuries ago: the Apple of Eris.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, Readers! This is my first fan fiction _on this site_, intended to be a series if enough people like it. The story focuses on original characters, but characters from PJatO and HoO will eventually make appearances, as well as influence the story. I only rated it T because some scenes of action may stray into it; I don't intend on even including swearing, not to mention suggestive scenes or controversial topics. 3rd person view points will change at my discretion, but I think this will help add some flexibility to the story. I'm planning on weekly updates, but not always necessarily on the same day.**

**Disclaimer: I do _not_ claim ownership of PJatO or HoO. Rick Riordan has my utmost respect, and I am eagerly awaiting House of Hades. I would, however, like to ask you all to respect me as well, and not to try to steal my original characters.**

**A/N: Alright, now that the legal junk is over, let's start the show! Hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

**Chapter One**

James Davince had been followed for the past half hour, and needless to say he was starting to get nervous.

The four figures were completely shrouded in long black trench coats, and walked leaning forward, as if to keep non-existent rain out of their faces. For what he could tell, they had begun following him ever since he left the fast food joint he stopped at to get food for his friends.

Whoever- or whatever- they were, the figures had trailed him through the outskirts of Detroit, despite his best efforts to lose them without attracting unneeded attention to himself. This annoyed him almost as much as it concerned him.

James stopped walking for a moment, pretending to look into the window of one of many abandoned stores in the area. A cursory glance at the slim fifteen year old in the black, high collared jacket wouldn't reveal any ulterior motives. But James' real purpose was to get a better look at his pursuers through the reflection.

Noting that he'd stopped, the lead figure abruptly shot out its arm, signaling its partners to halt. The way it moved seemed jerky and unnatural. As the arm shot back to its side, James caught a glimpse of metal reflecting light.

_Automatons_, he thought. _Just my luck._

Continuing to walk, his mind began to grasp what this meant. James had heard the reports of rogue automatons from his friend Steven, but he had assumed they would act like crazed lunatics. "Rogue" in his mind was synonymous with "broken," and most of the others agreed with him, including Steven. But the military-like efficiency and silence of his pursuers suggested otherwise.

He knew they had to be dealt with, and soon. If he moved any closer to the abandoned warehouse where his friends were waiting for him, there was a chance the automatons would sense the electromagnetic field emanating from their damaged Arcsail. And if these particular automatons were part of a larger group, the new student they were escorting would be in danger.

It wasn't a chance James was willing to take.

He then saw his window of opportunity: an alleyway further down the street. _Hm_, he thought to himself, _most people don't see going into a dark alley in Detroit as a good thing_. James pushed that thought aside; he needed to get out of sight from full-mortal eyes. And if he had learned anything over the years, it's that he wasn't "most people".

He walked calmly into the alley. Fortunately, it seemed to be empty, so he took a moment to assess the situation and prepare himself.

James was relying on his pursuers to assume that he was alone, unarmed, and unaware of their presence. While the first assumption was true at the moment, the others weren't even close. He could get the drop on them; take out one or two of them before they even knew what was happening.

First his weapon. James looked down at his right hand.

Mortals would look at it and see something completely normal, if a little out of place, covering his hand and forearm. A cast, perhaps, or an electrician's glove. That's because they were affected by the Mist, a convenient little trick implemented by the gods to hide things that wouldn't make sense to mortals, like monsters. Or the metal-plated gauntlet James was actually wearing at the moment.

He flipped a tiny switch on his palm with his ring finger. The metal plates of the gauntlet began to shift and morph into different shapes, moving down his arm and hand. In a matter of moments, James was holding his sword; four feet long, with a circular cross guard and a disarming slit running down the length of the gleaming blade.

Avenger. A bright spark from his complicated past.

Taking his sword in two hands, James positioned himself behind a rusty garbage can and waited for the automatons. If they wanted a fight, he would give it to them on _his_ terms.

They had picked the wrong demititan to mess with today.

* * *

Sophie peered underneath the hull of the Arcsail. "Hey Will! Are you almost done under there?"

The usually carefree face of her friend emerged from under the flying machine, grime-smeared and looking slightly irritated.

"No. Do you have any idea how hard it is to repair an Arcsail engine without proper tools? It's a nightmare under here!"

"I shouldn't have to know how hard it is. That's your job." She said jokingly.

"Har har. Maybe next time we could take off _after_ we destroy the Cyclopes latched onto our expensive, irreplaceable war machine."

Sophie shuddered at the memory. She would never have thought the thing would hold on for so long. "That was James' call, not mine. We were in a hurry, if I remember correctly."

"Regardless, the engines need a lot of time to cool down. She's not going anywhere for a couple of hours. Unless you fancy another emergency landing, of course."

Sophie sighed. "Whatever. Try to help the cooling process along then."

"Will do, Sarge!"

"Will better do, maggot."

Her friend chuckled at the play-on-words and retreated back under the hull. Sophie brushed a lock of black hair behind her ear and turned towards Tyler, who was standing quietly in the corner of the warehouse (as he was apt to do). "Anything to add, Tyler?"

The tall wiry figure of the demititan stepped forward with some reluctance. "Isn't Davince supposed to be back by now? He went out for food an hour ago."

"He does seem to be taking his time," Sophie said hesitantly. "It's probably just taking him awhile to find someplace to get decent food."

"Should we be concerned? Remember the report Steven sent us about 'rogue automatons'?"

Sophie smirked. "We're talking about the same James here, right? He's probably off dismantling hordes of broken automatons." Deep down, however, she was beginning to wonder if she should've gone with him. James meant a lot to her; when everything first went to Hades with the Swords, he never left her side. If something were to happen to him…

"I don't doubt that he can take care of himself," Tyler shrugged. "I guess I'm just wondering if you've seen anything about it."

Tyler had always been interested in Sophie's abilities, most likely because they were a perfect foil of his own. "I'd tell you if I saw anything out of the ordinary about James' future. But like I said, it's less common to see things with people like James. His future is constantly changing, so it's hard for my powers to lock onto one possible path."

"It must be nice to see the more interesting side of time." Tyler said wistfully. "I can't change anything about the past."

"Trust me, sometimes I wish-"

"Sorry to break this up," Will's voice rang out, "But someone should go check up on our 'special cargo' soon."

"Nose goes," Tyler stated, his finger already showing his desire not to try to socialize with the new student. Sophie assumed Will was making a similar gesture underneath the Arcsail.

"Fine," she said passively, "I'll do it."

It was probably for the best that she was chosen. As a son of Vulcan, Will was the only one who could make heads or tails of repairing the Arcsail. And Tyler wasn't necessarily good at dealing with demigods. Or people in general, really.

Nevertheless, it was a sad day when Sophie was the social butterfly of any group of people.

"Have fun," the two boys said simultaneously.

Sophie made her way to the other side of the Arcsail, making sure to check on their equipment. Seeing everything in its place, she turned to see Marty sitting near the door, absentmindedly scribbling in one of the many notebooks he brought with him.

Martin Matthews was a twelve year old African American boy with short curly black hair and gentle gray eyes. One thing that struck her as odd is that he seemed to be taking in stride all the weirdness he'd been through the past few hours. Which was a relief, of course, but it also sparked Sophie's rampant curiosity (a gift from her dad).

"What are you working on there?" Sophie inquired politely.

"Come and see for yourself," Marty said with a small smile

She expected to see writing, or perhaps a sketch of something. It was a sketch in a way, but it wasn't a picture or drawing. It was composed of a large number of small but very detailed formations, sort of like what a football play looks like on paper, except on a much larger scale. Instead of X's and O's, there was a wide variety of symbols and labels behind two lines on the paper. Sophie had seen many such drawings in the Athena dorms; a battle plan.

"Do you know what it is?" he asked.

"A battle strategy. Did you make this one all by yourself?" she asked, somewhat amazed.

"No, this one is based off of a historical battle, fought in England between the Anglo-Saxons -led by King Harold- and the Normans -led by William the Conqueror."

"You're talking about the Battle of Hastings, right?"

"Yeah! Not a lot of people know that nowadays," he said, obviously impressed.

"I saw a documentary on it once. It was apparently one of the first major battles in which heavy cavalry carried the day for the Normans"

Marty nodded. "That battle helped set the stage for how war was conducted for the next five-hundred years in Europe. Heavy cavalry became the medieval equivalent of a tank for armies in France, England, and many other European powers. It was only after the spread of gunpowder weapons that they were rendered obsolete."

He seemed to be getting excited at the prospect of someone understanding what he was saying. It was a feeling Sophie knew well.

"Do you do things like this often?" she asked, motioning to the notebook.

"I have two notebooks for documenting historical battles, and two for making my own battle scenarios," he explained. "I like to pick different sides and see how I would control their armies. Most people think it's weird, but it's something I really like to do."

Sophie smiled. She had a good idea of who Marty was related to. "Well, I for one think it's cool. You'll fit right in at the Academy. There's a dorm that I think will be perfect for you."

Marty gently put down the notebook. "I don't like being kept in the dark about all of this. Dad said it was for my own good until we get to this 'Academy', but would it be alright if you try to explain this whole 'demigod' thing to me?"

Sophie sat down next to him. "I think that would be alright. With me, James, and the others protecting you, it wouldn't be that dangerous. And I figured you'd ask that eventually. It's kind of complicated…"

* * *

The first automaton never stood a chance.

Just as the four pursuers rounded the corner into the alley, James kicked the garbage can into the lead one's abdomen. As it doubled over, he followed up with an upward two-handed strike that cleaved half of its head apart. James was stronger than his thin frame suggested. Wires and screws sprayed into the air as the disfigured automaton lurched backwards and fell over, motionless on the ground.

One down, three to go.

Before he was able to continue his assault, the other three leapt backward out of his reach. As James took a defensive stance and retreated back into the alley, they pressed forward slowly, apparently wary of him. Once they were all fully into the alleyway, they removed their trench coats.

The automatons looked like something straight out of a slasher film. They were thin and skeletal, with dull metal plates forming the bulk of their bodies. Their skull-like faces grinned at him, their solid blue eyes staring straight into James', which were flickering crimson at the prospect of a fight as opposed to their usual auburn color. Most intimidating about them were the razor-sharp axe blades carefully welded to their forearms. The thought that anyone would make such brutal automatons made James sick to his stomach.

It would be an injustice to let these things get away. And at that moment, he promised himself that he'd find whoever created them and teach that jerk a lesson they wouldn't forget. It's what his dad would've wanted.

"I don't appreciate you following me," he said, feigning cockiness. "And I especially don't appreciated scrap heaps like you thinking you can take me on in a fair fight. So I suggest you just turn around and let me break you nice and easily; it would save me a lot of time."

James didn't think for a second they would try to run. They were sent to do a job, and that job wasn't compromised because one of their own was down for the count. They would fight until there was nothing left of them or him. But if they thought he was overly confident, they might try to wear him down by fighting him one at a time. Which was just what he wanted.

Scrapheap Number Two suddenly sprinted forward, aiming to take out his legs. James twisted his sword to block the left blade and sidestepped to avoid the right. As the automaton reeled towards the alley wall, caught off balance by his quick reaction, James rammed it into the wall with his shoulder, and finished it off by impaling it through the chest.

Number Two shuddered momentarily, and then leaned against the wall. Only two more baddies for him to take out.

Without removing Avenger, he turned back towards the remaining fighters. They were making soft grinding sounds, almost like growling. "Alright, who's next? I don't have all day."

They had apparently learned their lesson from their comrade. This time, both of them quickly closed in on him.

James swung the impaled automaton out to face them, then pushed the deactivated automaton off of his sword and shoved it at the left enemy. Both fell over in a pile on the ground, the live automaton momentarily stunned. As the right enemy leapt at him, he rushed forward, blocking the automaton's blades, and tripped it in mid-flight. The automaton careened into the end of the alley, making a satisfying crunching sound.

James was able to slash the other automaton across its chest as it got out from under its friend. Undeterred, Number Three attempted to swing both of its blades straight up, trying to literally disarm him. James skillfully dodged the attack and plunged Avenger through the side of its head in one fluid motion. Three down, one to go.

The last automaton got up from the ground, its head misshapen from its recent spat with the alley wall. As James advanced, it swiped weakly, then shot past him down the alley. Surprised at its apparent desire for self-preservation, James turned and stabbed at the fleeing automaton. But this one was apparently smarter than the others, despite the recent head injury. It spun around and caught the blade through its left arm. The automaton then ripped Avenger out of his hands and aimed for a decapitating blow with its right arm. James was barely able to duck in time to avoid it.

_Awesome job, genius_, James cursed himself as he backed towards the end of the alley. _ I really hope Sophie scrapes up whatever's left of me later. Maybe I should leave her a "Sorry your friend got disemboweled by a psychotic machine" Hallmark card. _Joking aside, he was in serious danger, and if he didn't think of something fast, he was going to end up dead.

His mind was racing, trying to think of a way to gain an advantage. He quickly came up with a risky plan: he would try to leap at the automaton's left arm when it attacked again. If it attacked with its right arm, he should be safe; but if it decided to swing with its left arm (despite James' sword still being stuck in it)...there was a good chance it wouldn't end well for him. "It" here meaning his life.

The automaton advanced slowly, taking its time. Its prey was obviously defenseless; there wasn't any hurry. Sensing its victory, the automaton swung with another decapitating blow- with its unhindered right arm.

Time seemed to slow down as the blade came towards him. James kicked off the wall, and shot just underneath the right arm and into its unprepared left. There was no time to remove Avenger; James instead forced its own axe blade deep into its chest.

The automaton began to swing its right arm around wildly as it deactivated, hitting parts of its own body as well as the air around it. James frantically dove to the side as it began to convulse, then finally collapse to the ground in a scarred heap. The alley descended into complete silence, save for James' heavy breathing.

The conflict lasted what seemed to be an hour, but was actually under a minute. The results: One very tired demititan and four new piles of scrap metal where there used to be four dangerous killing machines. James sat down on the ground, trying to quickly catch his breath and process what it meant.

"Rogue automatons" didn't even come close to explaining how dangerous the situation was. The things he just fought were expertly made, incredibly efficient, and definitely weren't "rogue"; someone must have sent them. Steven had a lot of explaining to do when James got back to the Academy.

James' mind shot immediately to his friends: Sophie, Tyler, Will, and the new student, Marty. He needed to get them out of Detroit. He refused to believe these were the only automatons roaming in the area, searching for half-bloods. If Will wasn't done with the Arcsail by the time he got back, James would stay up all night to make sure they were safe.

He wouldn't let his family down a second time. No more running, no more hasty decisions. No one else would die because of him.

He looked out into the street. The sun was beginning to set. He needed to get going; they would be wondering what kept him so long. James approached his most recent foe and removed Avenger from its arm. Twisting the hilt exactly 90 degrees to the left, the blade retracted back into its gauntlet form.

It was at that moment that James realized that he wasn't alone. James turned back towards the street, and was greeted with a sight he never expected: the face of a friend he'd been searching for for three years. And the face didn't look very happy to see him.

"It's been awhile, James."

* * *

**A/N: Alright, everybody! Hope the cliff-hanger caught some attention! Follow and review if you liked it, and if you thought there was something I could improve on, please tell me! Also, I'm open to suggestions for characters, so if you feel like you have a good idea for one, I might put it into the story. Later!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Before I begin, I really want to publicly thank everyone for following and favoriting this story! You have no idea how much this means to me as a first- time author. I especially want to thank ChickenofDoom, ChronologicalOrder, and SapphireBlue for their reviews, and I encourage anyone reading this story to give me a review or PM about this. Alright, lets start Chapter Two!**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

What Marty had just been told by Sophie trumped every crazy thing that had happened to him the past six hours. Well, maybe not the flying, heavily armed sky boat. But it was still fairly insane.

"Wait, let me get this straight. You're saying that all those gods and goddesses in Greek mythology are real."

"Yup," Sophie stated, popping the "p".

"These gods- and monsters- have moved around with the spread of Western Civilization, and are now living in AMERICA."

"Most of North America, actually. But mainly yes."

"And sometimes, these gods have kids with mortals, and that's… what you think I am? Half mortal, half GOD?"

"That about sums it up."

"You're sure you're not all schizophrenics, right?"

Sophie pondered that question for an uncomfortably long time. "No," she finally decided, "We're definitely in actual danger a lot. Don't you remember the Cyclopes that almost ripped our Arcsail in half?"

"Hard to forget."

"Also, the odds that hundreds of people are having the exact same paranoia are pretty much impossible. So we're definitely right about this."

Marty was starting to feel light-headed. "I think I need to sit down."

Sophie didn't seem surprised. "Go ahead. I'll be right back; I need to go talk to Tyler about something."

"Take your time. I'll be down here for a while," Marty said as he began to slide down the wall.

Sophie gave him an empathetic look and walked back towards Tyler, leaving Marty to try to wrap his head around his new reality. It seemed like much longer than six hours ago that this all started.

* * *

That was when he got back from his mind-numbingly normal first day of school to see his dad talking with four teenagers in their living room. He would soon learn that these teenagers were the strangest group of people on the planet.

The first one to introduce themselves was James. The guy was fifteen years old, with a slim-built frame, medium-length brown hair, and red eyes. Not as if he was recently crying; he had literal reddish- brown irises, a color that would've given his science teacher a heart attack. He didn't seem to have any problem saying the truth, even if it was harsh. Whereas Will or Sophie tried to downplay the events of the day, James always told it how it was; he said it was better for Marty in the long run. Marty was starting to think he was right.

Right after him was Sophie. Also fifteen, Sophie's face and skin tone suggested at least partial East-Indian heritage. She had shoulder-length black hair, and brilliant hazel eyes that always seemed to be scanning around, looking for something to observe. Though she initially seemed normal enough, on three separate occasions observed by Marty she had predicted an event seconds before it happened; one of which saved all of their lives when she predicted the engine failure. Marty didn't think this was a coincidence.

Next up was Will. He was sixteen, with dirty-blonde hair and a body built like a linebacker. Will seemed to always be optimistic, even in ridiculously dangerous situations. He was still cracking jokes even as he frantically tried to keep their ship in the air when the engines died out. Speaking of which, he was obviously an absolute genius with machines. He was currently trying to cool down the engines, and had recently shouted out that he'd cut the cool-down time in half by using an ice pack, a beat-up electric fan from the warehouse next to them, and an assortment of pipes and toothpicks lying around. How he had managed this, Marty didn't have the foggiest.

Last and most hesitantly introduced was Tyler. He was tall and thin like a scarecrow, with solid black eyes and hair. Tyler had stayed almost completely silent throughout the entire trip. Sophie had said it wasn't out of any harsh feelings; Tyler just wasn't very social. The others didn't find it even a little strange, so Marty assumed that he really never talked much. He enjoyed taking the back seat and letting the others take care of things, but he wasn't afraid to help if he was needed. When it was obvious that the ridiculously persistent one-eyed monster hanging on to their back bumper wasn't going to let go, a well-placed javelin throw from Tyler was what saved them.

When Marty's dad told him the reason the four were here was connected to Marty's mom, Marty felt that the only thing to do was agree with their offer to send him to their special "academy". He had always wondered where she had gone; if there was even a chance that he'd get to meet her, it wasn't something he could pass up. After being assured that he'd get to visit his dad when he wanted, Marty packed his bags and embarked on the deceptively simple-sounding journey to his new home.

Throughout the very hectic flying boat ride, Marty had tried to keep calm and collected, knowing that it would make things easier for the other four. He couldn't lie to himself and say it wasn't scary; the entire thing was absolutely terrifying, especially the Cyclopes. But there was also something deep inside Marty that enjoyed it. It was exciting, pulse-pounding, challenging. Maybe even a little fun.

Maybe he really was a demigod, like those heroes in the Greek stories. It would explain this apparently innate acceptance of completely weird occurrences. And despite how crazy the explanation Sophie told him, there was that same innate feeling that she was right.

* * *

"Ready to talk about it?"

Marty looked up and saw that Sophie was done talking to Tyler. In fact, Tyler seemed to have left. Marty's mind began to spin. Perhaps Sophie had seen something happen to James, like she did with the engines…

"I...I guess I've always known that I'm a little different from everyone else. Not just in what I enjoy, but also in what I can see. I could've sworn a substitute teacher I had in fourth grade had scales on her face."

"Probably a dracanae. Not friendly. You must not've been very noticeable yet, or else she would've tried to attack you."

"When I tried to tell other people, they all gave explanations that didn't make sense. As if it was a trick of the light or something. I know what I saw. I guess in some weird way, what you're telling me makes sense. It fills in the blanks I've always had."

Sophie seemed relieved. "You're taking this really well compared to other potential students. I usually have to knock you hysterical demigods unconscious once or twice by now."

Marty laughed nervously. "You're kidding about the hitting part, right?"

"Maybe," Sophie said, punching him playfully on the shoulder.

"Hold on. The way you said 'you demigods'... aren't you-"

"A demigod? No. In fact, the only other demigod here is Will. James, Tyler, and I… we're demititans." Sophie said hesitantly.

A cold chill went up Marty's spine, for no apparent reason. The name itself seemed to bother him in a primal way. "Half mortal, half Titan?"

"Yup. Very rare, considering that most of the Titans are total jerks. But Themis -James' mom- is the Titan of Justice and Truth. She's pretty well-accepted on Olympus. And Epimetheus, Tyler's dad, and Prometheus, my dad, are usually some of the nicer ones."

"Usually?"

Sophie's face went dark. "A little over twenty years ago, the Titans and gods waged war on each other. Nowadays we call it Titan War II, because that was the second time this had happened, the first being the time the Olympians first overthrew the Titans. In Titan War II, Prometheus joined with the Titans."

"And it didn't end well for them," Marty assumed.

"No. Their leader, Kronos, ended up getting blasted into a million pieces, and their army collapsed fighting Hades' army of the undead." Sophie said it like it was a completely normal thing to happen.

"Holy crap. How did no one notice this in the mortal world?"

"The Mist shielded it from their view. The Mist is a force exerted by the Olympians and other powerful forces to obscure any mortal's view of what's actually happening around them. The mortal's brain just fills in the blanks with something closer to their definition of normal. I think the Battle of Manhattan was passed off by the media as a failed terrorist attempt."

"Okay, so the Titans lost. Then what happened with your dad?"

"He went into hiding. I assume the gods are still trying to find him. The point is, the good guys won, and the rest of the Titans got banished to Tartarus. Again."

"You actually think the gods are 'good'?"

Marty looked towards the door. Tyler had returned from his errand.

"Not necessarily," Sophie said with a frown. "The gods have done a lot of terrible things to mortals and half-bloods over the years. I just know that the Titans would be worse."

"You're probably right," Tyler conceded. "No, scratch that. You're definitely right."

"As per usual. And why aren't you going out to look for James?"

"His business with that friend of yours ended two minutes ago. He should be back in five."

"Um, guys?" Will interjected from under the hull. "I thought James went out for food."

"He did," Tyler stated without looking towards him. "He got more than he bargained for."

"Wait, how do you know that?" Marty asked, feeling left out.

Sophie turned back towards him. "Tyler's dad is Epimetheus, Titan of Hindsight. While that may sound like a sucky power, it allows Tyler to occasionally see past events. I have the opposite situation; my dad is the Titan of Foresight, which allows me to see future events."

Marty considered that for a second. "That's…really awesome."

Will stuck his head out from under the Arcsail. "Yeah, super cool. But what was that part about friends-"

Sophie interrupted him. "Tyler, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?" There was an urgent tone in her voice. Tyler followed her off to the other side of the warehouse. Marty and Will watched the conversation with undivided attention. Sophie was motioning here and there, seeming to plead with him, as he stood silently, occasionally nodding.

"What's that all about?" Marty asked Will.

"You have as good a guess as I do," Will said with a shrug. "From what I've been able to deduce, James and Sophie lived on the road for a while before ending up at the Academy. Maybe they made a friend at some point."

"And Tyler knows who that person is?"

"I don't think James or Sophie really told him. It's hard to hide anything from Tyler. His powers make anything you've ever done completely visible. We should all count ourselves lucky he doesn't like to gossip much."

Marty shuddered. "Yeah, that would be kinda creepy."

"Definitely. And I wouldn't worry too much about all that stuff about their pasts; James and Sophie are both great friends, and I don't think they're hiding anything bad from us. Or if they are, there's a good reason for keeping us in the dark."

Marty felt a little better. Nevertheless, he was eager to change the subject. He looked at the flying machine that they were trying to fix. "So, why do you guys call that thing an 'Arcsail'?"

Will slapped the hull affectionately. "Thought you'd never ask! Well, it's controlled by something called an Archimedes Sphere, named after its original creator. Archimedes lived in Sicily more than two thousand years ago, but he was an absolute genius, even by today's standards. He created the original prototypes for these spheres, and when they were recovered twenty years ago by Leo Valdez, he began to manufacture new ones-"

Marty was stunned. "Leo Valdez!? As in the CEO of 'Festus Tech'?" Festus Tech was a massive company in the mortal world, producing everything from cars to cell phones. Saying that Leo Valdez was a demigod was the equivalent of saying Bill Gates was actually Iron Man.

"Yup. If you think he gets all his money from the mortal world, think again. He designs flying machines, particularly ships, using these spheres, and sells them to the other demigod camps, including Delphi Academy. The ships range from ones designed off of a type of ship called a sloop -which we call Arcsails-, to ones designed off of Greco-Roman triremes."

"This is… all really crazy." Marty said resignedly.

"You'll get used to it. Hopefully," a familiar voice behind him stated.

Marty turned to see James standing at the door, wearing an amused look on his face. But there was something different about him. He seemed physically and mentally wearier, and his eyes were now glowing a bright crimson. Sophie ran over towards James and threw her arms around him. "You have a lot of explaining to do," she started after she released him.

"I know. Let's eat first, though. If I don't get something inside of me, I think I'm gonna pass out."

Will walked over to him. "Same here. What did you bring me?"

James sighed. "Two double quarter-pounders and a large fry. I swear, you're not doing your body any favors by eating this. Not to mention my wallet."

Will guided James over towards the center of the warehouse. "Yeah, yeah. I'll pay you back when we get back home. And I'll bench press your body weight a couple times to work these bad boys off, too."

Marty chuckled and followed his new friends. He could learn to like these people.

* * *

As James told them of his encounter with the automatons, he examined each of their faces, trying to see if they believed him. They needed to think that was all that happened. He didn't like hiding anything from them, but he reassured himself it was for their own good. Marty was enthralled by the story, and he was now enthusiastically scribbling in his notebook. And Will was too preoccupied by his burgers to care at the moment.

It was a different situation with Tyler and Sophie. Though it was usually hard to tell what Tyler was thinking, the fact that he didn't even flinch at the story suggested that he'd seen at least part of the conflict, and the subsequent business, after the fact. Sophie was looking at him expectantly, as if she already knew he was holding something back, but wanted James to tell them himself.

_Later, Sophie,_ he tried to communicate to her with his eyes. _ Please. Only you can know the whole story. _Whether she understood or not, she seemed to back off for the time being.

"So Tyler," Will said with his mouth full, "Is that what you meant by their 'friend'? You saw James get attacked by one of those automatons?"

James glared inconspicuously at Tyler, daring him to say otherwise. Tyler may have been his friend, but James wouldn't hesitate to deck him if it meant protecting the others.

"Naturally," Tyler said matter-of-factly. "I guess you can't detect my subtle brand of sarcasm yet."

"Regardless, someone should stand guard outside just in case more of those things come here," Marty said without looking up from his notebook.

"Agreed. I'll do it," James offered.

"You shouldn't go by yourself," Sophie said standing up. "We wouldn't want you falling asleep after your little fight. I'll keep you company."

_Good thinking, Sophie. _"Alright, the two of us will be lookouts, Will should keep working on the engines, and Tyler and Marty can get some sleep. It's been a long day."

Marty finally closed his notebook. "Tell me about it. I just got told that a bunch of temperamental gods from ancient times still exist,and I'm the son of one of them-"

Thunder sounded overhead. All four of the older half-bloods looked accusingly at Marty. "I don't think they're going to let comments like that slide anymore," Will said helpfully.

"My bad."

"Don't worry about it; it always seems to be thundering around the three of us," Tyler said, motioning to himself, Sophie, and James.

"Mostly you," the other two demititans stated simultaneously.

"And that's probably because you openly hate them constantly," Will added as he crawled back under the Arcsail.

"Screw you guys," Tyler said grumpily. "It's one thing when I isolate myself by preference; when you all do it for me, it's just cruel."

"Aw, c'mon. You know you're our friend," Sophie tried to assure him.

"Okay, okay. Don't go all buddy-buddy on me. Go make sure we don't all get killed,_ heroes_." Tyler commonly used "heroes" as another word for "idiots".

"Alright, let's go," James said to Sophie, eager to get out of earshot of the others. The two of them left the warehouse via the side door.

* * *

"Spill your guts," Sophie demanded after she closed the door. "Did the Swords find us?" She tried to sound confident, but the thought that they'd been found made her whole body cold.

James seemed relieved to be able to get it off his chest. "Just Noah."

Sophie breathed a sigh of relief. Noah and his father were the ones who helped them escape after the horrible event with James' dad. James had been trying to get ahold of one of them for years, with no success. They were the only ones who knew the accusations against James and Sophie were false.

"Thank the gods. Will he be able to help us?"

"I don't know. He and his dad are trying to present our case to Damian, but the fact that we ran away makes it look really bad for our side."

Sophie gritted her teeth. It wasn't their fault the woman in purple flames threatened to kill James. Why did the Fates seem to be out to get them?

"I'm sorry, James."

He turned back to her. His face showed the kind of pain no person should have to feel: the pain of losing family. " 'Sorry' is not going to bring my dad back, or clear our names. Or get this brand off my hand."

Sophie held his right hand gently. "Show it to me. Has it been getting worse?"

James shed his gauntlet with a grimace. Sophie inhaled sharply; the terrible burn that the woman's grip left him was spreading. The dark red color it had been for three years was now laced with purple lines, and it was encompassing most of his forearm, as opposed to just his wrist.

"I'm starting to get scared," James said, his hand trembling.

Sophie pulled him in for a hug. "Nothing bad's going to happen. I won't let it."

She wasn't sure how yet, but she'd find a way to make that true. They'd stuck together for so long; he was family to her, and she was sure he felt the same way.

"There's something else, too. The Swords are looking for a demigod."

Sophie released him slowly. "Who?"

"A child of Eris, the goddess of chaos. I don't know why, but Noah said the Swords have changed since we left. They don't care about the Olympians anymore. There's talk that Damian is going to lead them against the gods. But first, he needs something the girl can get for him."

Sophie stood stunned. That didn't sound anything like Damian. He was only two years older than the two of them, and they'd been friends for so long, she could never imagine him even leading the Swords, much less sending them to war. He was always content with just hanging around with James, Sophie, Noah, and the other Swords, and she never thought of him as violent or cruel like some of his half-siblings. It just didn't make sense. "Why would he do that?"

"That's what I want to know, and what Noah is trying to find out."

Sophie pushed her thoughts of Damian aside for now. "What are we going to do about the girl?"

"Noah's dad located her two day's ago. The Swords are planning on taking her soon. We need to move quickly if we're going to keep her away from them."

"The others are going to find it a little strange if we take a pit stop at some house or school and come back with another demigod."

"We'll make up some excuse. We don't have much of a choice; if the Swords find this thing Damian is looking for, I have a feeling really bad things are going to happen. Once we take the girl to the Academy, we can protect her while Noah tries to clear our names. If he succeeds, we can go back ourselves and try to talk sense into Damian and the rest of them."

"And if that doesn't work? The Academy may be safe from monsters, but the Swords of Damocles..."

Sophie could see that James wasn't sure either. "We'll just have to do the best we can."

* * *

**A/N: Alright, everybody! If you liked the story, or felt like there was something I could improve on, feel free to follow and review; in fact, if you have friends that you think might want to see this, by all means tell them, too! On a side note, I'll be out of town tomorrow, so I might not respond to PM's and Reviewers until Sunday. Later!**

**P.S.: This chapter has been updated since Friday. I wanted to get all this plot-building out of the way so that next chapter can jump right into the action. I'll leave a reminder at the top of chapter three just in case readers don't catch this.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello, Readers! There haven't been any new reviews or favorites, but I'm not really here for popularity; just to tell what I think is a good story! Regardless, I'd still appreciate a review if you enjoyed it, or want to voice any improvements or potential characters (Though I'll have no problem making my own if I don't hear anything). Alright, get ready for chapter three!**

**P.S.: Additions to chapter two were made this Sunday. If you last saw this when it first came on Friday, you should obviously read the new version, as it progressed the plot significantly more than the first, and you'll have little idea of what's now going on.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Back at Delphi Academy, Andrew was calmly drinking his coffee, musing over the realization that James, Will, Sophie, and Tyler weren't back yet. Most extraction trips didn't take much longer than a day, and were almost never an overnight thing. He could already start to sense the gossip starting around the cafeteria, people all wondering and worrying about them.

Andrew himself wasn't overtly worried about the four. As a son of Mercury, he of all people knew about the little distractions that come with any trip; most likely, they had trouble with the new student. James was the best swordsman in the school -besides maybe Steven-, Sophie could see into the freaking future, Will could probably _build _them a new Arcsail if a mechanical problem arose, and Tyler… was Tyler. He survived most of his life on the road as a super monster-magnet, so Andrew had no reason to think of him as a pushover. Together, there weren't a lot of things short of a god that could cause significant trouble to them; and it would have to be a fairly powerful god at that.

Andrew looked up to see Steven walk over to the table and sit adjacent to him. Steven was a bit of a mystery at the school. No one could figure out who his immortal parent was, but it was unlikely to be an Olympian; Steven had never been claimed by one before -or in the three years since- his thirteenth birthday, the agreed-upon deadline made by the gods for showing who their children really were. Despite this, James and Sophie took to him quickly, and the others included him into their circle of friends.

"Good morning, Stevie. Sleep well?"

"Have you been informed-"

"Yup. Our friends are having a wonderful time keeping us waiting."

Steven snorted. "You aren't even slightly interested at this revelation? James and Sophie aren't of the kind of disposition to waste any time frolicking around-"

"Interested, yes. Surprised, somewhat. But not worried."

Andrew liked to keep things precise and to-the-point when talking to Steven. It helped balance Steven's love of all sorts of verbal decorum, which constantly got on his nerves. It gave Steven a kind of charm, Andrew supposed, but it was very inefficient for communication purposes.

Steven rested back in his seat, looking slightly deflated. "You aren't a great deal of fun to talk to, I'll have you know."

"Disappointed that you won't be able to read me your three-part explanation of why they're taking so long?"

"Amusing, but incorrect. I simply wanted to inform you of something the Headmaster told me this morning."

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Unknown objects have been spotted just outside the Academy's ballistae range."

This was news to Andrew. "It's probably just more Stymphalian Birds."

"Radar suggests something bigger. The Headmaster has ordered all incoming ships to stay away until she can release some scouts into the air. I hope our friends get the message in time…Wait! Where are you going?"

Andrew had bolted up, and was beginning to jog out of the cafeteria. "Control room! They won't know the codes to their Arcsail!" He then turned around and sprinted down the hall, Steven close behind.

* * *

"So this is where you saw the harpy swarm?" Will asked skeptically as he powered down the Arcsail. "I didn't see anything on the radar."

Sophie shrugged helplessly. "Do we want to risk it? Because I heard those things aim for the eyes. I, for one, enjoy my eyes."

Will considered that for a moment. "As do I. Except with _my_ eyes, of course."

"We'll only be down here for about an hour until the harpies get bored and fly off."

Will stood up and stretched his arms out. "I wanted a break anyway. Five hours of straight flying is pretty killer."

James looked up from Marty. "Especially when you're busy trying to break the sound barrier. I think our new student is now terrified of this death trap."

Marty's face was as pale as it could probably get. He was holding the air-sickness bag with two quivering hands, a direct result of Will's attempts at showing off their Arcsail's speed capabilities.

"That's the last time I ever ask anyone how fast any type of vehicle can go." he said quietly.

"My bad," Will said, truly sorry for indulging the question so enthusiastically.

Will was able to get the Arcsail up and running late last night, around 1 A.M. They had decided to sleep for another three hours before taking off. Five wonderful hours of flying in Will's opinion (and five obviously terrifying hours of flying in Marty's) later, they had parked the Arcsail on top of what appeared to be a boarding school on the outskirts of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Will knew Sophie was up to something. Radar doesn't lie; no harpy swarm was barreling towards them. And Tyler may be terrible with sarcasm, but not bad enough to it go unnoticed. James had talked to someone else last night, and the three of them were covering it up. And as much as that annoyed Will, there had to be a good reason they'd stopped here.

So he'd keep his mouth shut for now and play along, if only to learn more. But he decided that once they got back to the Academy, there weren't going to be any more secrets. Even if it was dangerous, James and Sophie were going to tell him everything.

"So...what are we going to do in the meantime?" Will asked innocently.

Sophie's eyes wandered around. "Let's all just meet back here in an hour. We can go somewhere to eat, or...something."

_You're an awful liar, _Will thought with an internal snicker. _ But I guess you've hidden this from us for three years now, so maybe I just wasn't looking for it. _He wasn't being bitter about it, though; in fact, he found it a little funny. One of his best talents was finding humor in the little things.

"We should stay together, though. Don't want to get lost!"

"Well...me and James are going to take a look at the school below us. Lot's of vending machines to choose from."

James climbed over the side of the boat and landed on the roof of the building. "Yeah. And...and wouldn't it be funny if we found another demigod or something? What kind of luck that would be?"

He laughed nervously as Sophie gave him the evil eye. _Real smooth, James, _Will thought with another silent snicker. He was starting to be insulted that they'd been able to keep up the charade from him; they were both gods-awful at lying. So they were looking for a demigod, eh? That was enough information for now. He figured he'd end their torture.

"Look guys, I know there's some super-dark secret you're all trying to hide from me. You're failing miserably, by the way. Whoever _really_ had business with James," he said, turning towards Tyler, "obviously told him about some new demigod we're going to have to pick up. I'm not mad at you guys; I'll help you find the kid. But when we all get back to the Academy, I want the truth for a change."

Tyler looked almost as pale as Marty, but didn't say a word. Will turned back towards James and Sophie, who were each wearing a peculiar combination of shame and gratitude on their faces.

James spoke up first. "Will...thanks. We're sorry for lying to you. I'll tell you everything later, I promise." Sophie looked in surprise at him, but then nodded at Will.

"No more secrets. But we need to get the girl fast."

Will whistled cheerfully. "What are we waiting for, then? Up and at 'em, lady and gents! You too, Matthews; don't give me that 'I'm going to pass out' crap. I know you loved the ride just as much as the rest of us!"

* * *

Marty certainly _didn't_ enjoy the ride. But there was no way he was just going to stay by the ship with Tyler. All this business about secrets was making his head spin, but Will had said they were here to pick up another demigod, and Marty wanted to help however he could. So he and the other three made their way down the roof and onto the school grounds, searching the area for any sign of this girl.

"Let's look inside. She's probably in her first-hour class," Sophie suggested.

Marty rolled his eyes. "We're just going to waltz in there and hope no one notices us?"

Sophie narrowed hers. "Don't test me, rookie. We have ways of staying unnoticed. I've been practicing influencing the Mist to convince mortals that we're supposed to be here."

Marty felt a little embarrassed. "Sorry. I'm a little new at this, remember?"

Sophie sighed. "You're right. Let's just get going."

She continued ahead silently. Will stopped and put his arm around James' shoulders. "You're happy to have to tell me now, aren't you?"

"You need to understand something: it was for your own good. Let's just focus on getting the girl for right now, okay? No need to get distracted over this."

Will relented. "That's what I want too, remember? Let's go catch up with Sophie."

The three boys entered the main doors behind Sophie. The building was fairly big and spacious, with a commons area making up the front it. A few students clad in red dress uniforms were milling around between classes, but for the most part it was empty.

"Alright, who are we looking for exactly?" Will asked.

James took out a small sheet of paper from his jacket pocket. "Emily. Blonde hair, blue eyes, medium height. Twelve years old, and was enrolled in this school by her deceased father when she was six." The three older half-bloods looked saddened by the last piece of information.

Marty considered what it would be like to grow up like Emily probably did. Even without Marty's mom in the picture, Marty's dad was always there for him, even when run-ragged from working two jobs to support them. Even though Marty now knew why his mother couldn't stay with them, that was something he couldn't bring himself to forgive her for yet. But Emily didn't even have one parent that could be around to take care of her.

"Will she be better off with us?" he then asked the others.

Sophie looked at him. "You tell us. Were you ever really happy hanging around people who could never truly understand you? How many different schools have you been to in your life?"

Marty once again felt embarrassed. A lot of kids picked on him for always writing strategies in notebooks, calling him the usual "nerd" or "dork". His ADHD and dyslexia problems didn't help. But whenever he tried fighting back, he usually got caught.

"Four. But it was just because-"

"Not because of grades; it's hardly ever that. You're probably ADHD and dyslexic, right?" The look of astonishment on Marty's face probably prompted the explanation from Will.

"Most half-bloods are like you; we get in trouble because we're different. It's because we get into fights, or monsters attack us, or people just think we're weird and stay away from us. It might not seem fair, but that just means we need to be with others like us. We're all better off at Delphi Academy, or Camp Half-Blood, or New Rome. Those are the only places we can really call home in the end."

"Wait, what is 'Camp Half-Blood' and 'New Rome'?"

"Before Delphi Academy came around, those were the two respective camps for Greek and Roman demigods. They needed to stay separate from each other, because they usually fought with each other when they came together throughout history. It's really complicated, but each of the gods have two different aspects to them; one from Greek times, and one based off their altered Roman forms."

"I...kind of get that, actually. When the Romans worshipped the gods, they weren't exactly the same as they were as the Greek gods. They focused more on war and expansion, right?"

Sophie looked impressed. "You know, you're going to do just fine-"

Just then, the bell rang for second period. Students in red uniforms began to pour out of the rooms and into the commons area.

"This would be a good time to narrow down who Emily is," James remarked. "Everyone, look for any girl that fits the description and ask if it's her. I'll go with Marty, and Will and Sophie can each go alone. Let's meet back here at the end of passing time if we can't find her."

"Got it," Sophie and Will replied, and the two of them went off in separate directions.

"Alright Marty, stay close and keep your eyes peeled."

Marty was already scanning the mass of people in the commons. Immediately dismissing the taller students, he began to look in the corners and along the walls. He assumed someone like Emily would try to attract as little attention as possible, being a sixth grader in a private school filled with older teenagers. In seconds he spotted two girls with blonde hair fitting the height description.

"There are two girls on opposite sides of the commons that look like they could be Emily," he stated casually.

James looked at him, a look of incredulity on his face. "That didn't take very long. How'd you find them so quickly?"

Marty shrugged. "I've always been good at noticing the little things around me. When you gave the criteria, I just went through a simple deduction process and added my own assumption of her behavior. The girls both seem to be trying to avoid the other students, staying close to the walls and out of the others' way. That's what I'd do in their situation, anyway."

"Okay then. We'll go to each one together-"

The second bell rang. The students who were moments before just milling around suddenly picked up the pace, in fear of being tardy for their classes.

"There's no time. I'll go to the one on the right side, you go on the left," Marty quickly suggested.

James grasped the situation quickly. "Okay, but be careful. if you don't make it to her, or she's not Emily, go back to the entryway and wait for the others, okay?"

"Alright." James strode over in the direction of the first girl, and was soon out of sight as Marty went for the one on the left. He saw the girl leave the commons through a smaller hallway off to the right. But by the time he got there, the hallway was blocked by outgoing students.

Marty caught a glimpse of blonde hair between two guys. He knew he wouldn't make it through the hallway before she got to the end of it. There was only one thing for him to do: he shouted her name.

"Hey, Emily!"

The girl seemed startled, and turned in his direction. _That's her! _Marty waved his arm in the air to show that he was the one who called for her, motioning that he wanted to talk. Emily walked over to him, arms crossed and with a perplexed look on her face.

"Do I know you?"

"Um, no. I'm a new student. I just saw your name on your jacket."

She scanned his body. "Where's your uniform, new guy?"

"I'm, like, really new. My...my mom is talking with the principal about having me enrolled here." Just mentioning his mom seemed weird considering he never really knew her, and she was apparently an immortal goddess.

"Cool. Well, I have to go to biology now, so… later." Emily began to turn back into the hallway.

"No, wait! I wanted to show my mom what the uniforms looked like. Could you maybe come with me for a second? It won't take long, I promise."

Emily looked back at him, seeming to weigh the options. "You're kind of odd. Why not pick a guy to show your mom? They have slightly different colors than the girl uniforms."

Marty started to get anxious. He didn't really have a reply that made sense. Emily stared at him for a second, waiting for an answer. Marty was certain she was going to turn around and walk to her class, but surprisingly she smiled and stepped towards him.

"Fine. Anything to get me out of biology. But you owe me one, new kid."

Marty was relieved. "Thanks." Making sure she was following him, he began to walk back towards the entryway, happy that he had been able to help both Emily and the older half-bloods.

That's when the fire alarm went off.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, reviews and favorites would be much appreciated, as usual. I've decided to only post on Sundays from here on out, so readers that don't/can't follow the story have an idea of when to check the progress. Also, I'm experimenting with names for each chapter, and I'd like some suggestions on that, as well as suggestions for characters. Later!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Get ready for the longest and most action-oriented chapter yet! I had two papers to write over this weekend, so you should all count yourselves lucky I really love writing this for you guys! Thanks again to percyjacksonfantothecore for his review on potential character names; they will probably be given to one or two of my planned characters in the next few chapters! Alright, let's get this show on the road!**

**Disclaimer: But first, I haven't done a disclaimer in awhile, and I don't want to get sued or anything. So I just want to reiterate that I only claim ownership of the original characters and storyline presented; Rick Riordan still owns the epic world and PJatO/HoO characters he created from his awesome brain. Seriously, I love the guy.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Tyler's job was supposed to be easy. _Just watch the ship_, they said. He should've known the power emanating from three demititans and three demigods would be irresistible to any monster in the greater Minneapolis area.

For the first few minutes, everything was fine. Tyler was just lazily scanning his eyes around the school perimeter from his vantage point, pondering about what had happened between Will and the other demititans.

James had said that he'd tell Will everything; and if he really meant _everything_ (and James wasn't the kind of person to take anything in half measures), things were going to get personal concerning the Swords of Damocles. Tyler had been able to piece together each part of James' past into a fairly reliable line, and the picture didn't look pretty. Unlike Sophie, Tyler had a small amount of control over what he could see, at least in most people, and he'd spent a great deal of time looking into James' messed up history.

Tyler sighed to himself. It was never easy to have his special brand of power. It seemed like everyone he'd ever met had some dark secret to hide from everyone else -even decent people like James and Sophie- and Tyler was responsible for keeping those secrets from everyone else, too. It was stressful, depressing, occasionally exhausting, and always unsettling to see what kind of things a person can do. He'd never get used to it; no one could be completely trusted, and he might be the only person on the whole planet to know that for certain.

Tyler's thoughts were rudely interrupted by the sounds of stereotypical stupid-jock laughter coming from below the building. He looked down to see a very unpleasant sight; he didn't need to be Sophie to know that his day was about to get much more complicated.

Laestrygonians: the stupid jocks of the monster world. Eight foot tall, dark red skinned, cannibalistic stupid jocks. Even the supernatural speed and strength of a demititan is only on-par with the physical strength of these northern giants. This particular group of Laestrygonians was wearing black and white jerseys, athletic shorts, and basketball shoes, as if they'd stopped halfway through a pickup game just to ruin somebody's day. Each of the twenty-or-so giants was holding some type of crude weaponry, ranging from rusty pipes to medieval maces. One was even revving up a weed whacker.

One of the smaller ones ("Small" here meaning about seven foot even) carrying a crowbar spotted Tyler on the roof. "Hey, boss!" he shouted, turning towards the tallest and ugliest one in the center. "They got one of those flying boat thingies!"

Their assumed leader was carrying a claymore on his shoulder, treating the massive sword as if it weighed no more than a baseball bat. "Shut it, Vinnie! I already knew they'd bring someone. Three of you take care of that pipsqueak and the ship. The Eris girl should be inside; if you find more demigods, they're free range. But do not harm the girl! Go get her!"

Tyler didn't stick around to watch them enter the school; he needed to warn the others quickly. Expertly swinging his body over the edge of the roof, he dropped into the nearest windowsill and forced the window open. The room was thankfully empty and appeared to be a chemistry lab. Perfect for what he was about to do.

Rule number one for monster attacks in mortal areas: get the mortals out of the way. Not just for their safety, but also to keep the battlefield as free of distractions as possible. The best way to do that while alerting his friends of the coming danger was to trip the fire alarm. While technically illegal, regular school protocol kind of goes out the window when you're getting attacked by cannibalistic B-ballers.

Tyler pulled the fire lever without hesitation, and the high-pitched whine of the fire alarms began in earnest. Satisfied that his professionally-trained monster-destroying friends would be ready to go in about two-and-a-half seconds, Tyler exited back out the window to get his weapons ready. Whether by James, Sophie, or Tyler, these monsters would soon learn what it meant to fear Titan blood.

* * *

Approximately two-and-a-half seconds after the fire alarm went off, James and Sophie were at the entryway, Damocles blades in sword form and ready to take down the intruders. Which was fortunate, because that was when a host of Laestrygonian giants in basketball apparel smashed the doors down.

The first giant either stupid or brave enough (possibly both) to fight went straight for James. Big mistake; James easily dodged the flailing crowbar, saw an opening, and raked the blade straight into his foe's arm. Before the giant could even cry out, James had maneuvered around him and swung Avenger in a devastating arc that nearly cut the Laestrygonian in two. The giant crumpled onto the ground, then disintegrated like any fallen monster should, its core essence dispersing towards Tartarus.

James didn't have time to admire his handwork; two more giants were barreling towards him, yelling indignantly about their friend "Vinnie". He had never felt even slightly sorry for destroying monsters. They'd eventually reform anyway, and besides that they were the ones that attacked him. James reversed his sword into a backhanded grip and prepared to send the oncoming Laestrygonians straight after their buddy.

* * *

Marty had no idea what to do. Things were completely chaotic in the commons, with those gigantic red monsters trying to get past James and Sophie, and panicking students rushing about in the hallway behind him. Marty assumed that the Mist thing was at work, but whatever the mortals were seeing was still pretty terrifying, because they were all pushing and shoving to get out via the emergency exits, totally forgetting safety drills and staying as far away from the commons as possible.

He had seen James and Sophie morph their metal gauntlets into wicked looking swords, and they were really laying into their attackers. Sophie wasn't being cocky when she said they'd have no problem protecting Marty; she was being realistic. The two demititans were like twin flashes of black and grey, spinning and leaping with astonishing speed and shredding apart any giant foolish enough to get close. Both of them didn't even seem to be trying as each engaged three or four at a time, occasionally teaming up in perfect sync to repel a forward charge.

"Impressive, right?"

Marty turned to his right to see Will nonchalantly walking towards him, a retractable crossbow in hand. He fired a metal-tipped bolt into the mass of attackers, and was rewarded with a roar of pain from the front line.

"I don't even know why I made this thing," Will said with a grin, referring to the crossbow. "They never seem to need my help, as you can plainly see."

"What are those things!?" Marty asked, fighting back against his growing hysteria. "Why are we always getting attacked by gigantic creatures!?"

"It's all a part of the demigod experience," Will replied, the smile never leaving his face. "As for what they are, those would be Laestrygonian giants, or Canadians for short."

"Canadians!?"

"Just one of the many jokes we half-bloods have. They always originate in the far-northern regions of wherever Western Civilization is strongest, which happens to be Canada nowadays."

Marty looked around, feeling like he was forgetting something. "What triggered the fire alarms?"

"Probably Tyler. It's a general rule to keep the mortals out of our business, for our mutual benefit, and he would've seen them coming."

Marty was beginning to calm himself down. "...I guess that makes sense. Get the non-combatants off the battlegrounds. Strategy 101."

"Yup. Hey, wanna try firing a shot-"

Will was interrupted by loud, inhumanly deep laughter coming from the entryway. The two demigods turned to see a much larger giant wielding a claymore kick James halfway across the commons area, with James skidding about another ten feet along the ground before finally coming to rest in front of them. Marty cried out in shock, certain that a kick like that would've shattered most of the bones in James' body, but was surprised to see James slowly get up, leaning heavily on his sword but very much still conscious and willing to fight.

James turned to Will and Marty, addressing them through grit teeth and between bouts of pain. "That one -urk!- is trouble. Way stronger than the others. Will, get Marty ba -gasp!- back to the Arcsail. Now!" James then heaved his sword up with a gunt, wiped some blood off the side of his mouth, and began to walk slowly back to the fight, much to Marty's horror.

Back at the entryway, Sophie was ducking and weaving around the giant leader's massive sword, occasionally being forced to block a brutally powerful blow from her foe, and somehow holding her own in those instances. The other giants were waiting by the doors, laughing and cheering for their champion, but Marty could see the slight look of uncertainty on the Claymore Canadian's face as Sophie refused to give any ground.

"Hey, you with the sword! Come -ow!- come here and fight me! I'm not done with you yet!" James shouted fiercely as he limped back towards the fray. The giant could barely acknowledged him, simply motioning his subordinates to deal with him while narrowly avoiding a swipe from an increasingly angry Sophie.

Will tisked back on the sidelines. "Zeus Almighty, that guy really owns up to the demititan thing."

"What!? We need to go help him! He's going to get himself killed!" Marty said, exasperated at Will's calmness. Didn't he care about James' safety?

"Who, James? Naw, this is where the fun begins for him, and I suggest we stay as far back from him as possible right now," Will said, his voice now containing a hint of nervousness.

As the giants closed in on him, James stopped walking and lifted his sword over his head. "Cowards!" he shouted loudly. "Cowards, every one of you! You think you can take me on now!? You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

The air around James seemed to compress around him, and the tile floor beneath him began to break, as if his slim frame suddenly gained a massive amount of weight. Marty watched amazed as James slammed his sword into the ground with two hands, shattering the tiles across the entire commons and blasting a shock wave that sent every nearby giant flying backwards. James proceeded to sprint along forward at a break-neck pace, pursuing his airborne foes with a vengeance.

"What the-" Marty started.

"I'll tell you later," Will said hurriedly. "But James told me to get you out of here, and I need to get the ship ready for takeoff. Let's go!"

Marty was about to follow him when his mind suddenly snapped back to just before the giants attacked. _Emily! _He looked all around him, but she was nowhere in sight _She must've ran when she saw the Laestrygonians! How could I have just forgotten her!? _he thought angrily to himself.

"We need to find Emily! She was just with me before the fire alarms went off, but she probably ran!"

Will shook his head. "We can look for her later. Maybe after we get you to the Academy-"

"No! You heard what Sophie said: we need to get to her fast! How are you going to get the answers you want if we let something happen to her?"

"...Fine. But we're getting you to the Arcsail first. _Your_ safety is the priority right now; as long as Emily still doesn't know who she really is, the giants are less likely to be able to detect her."

Marty could tell Will wasn't going to budge any further. "Okay, there should be some sort of maintenance ladder that can get us back up to the roof. We'll take the stairwell."

Will smiled amiably. "Alright, lead the way, Matthews!"

* * *

It took awhile for the Laestrygonians to reach the Chemistry lab hallway, which gave Tyler plenty of time to sharpen his javelins.

While sliding the grindstone along the blades, Tyler paid attention to the sounds below him. The cries from the giants suggested that James and Sophie were giving them a run for their money, and the period of shaking throughout the entire building probably meant James or Sophie had unleashed a substantial amount of their Titan power. But, as it was possible that one or two giants could slip past or find another way in, he'd thought it would be a good idea to make a stand at the hallway after the mortals had evacuated. After all, the end of the hallway held the entrance to the service ladder that led up to the roof, and that was the only conceivable path the giants could take to wreck the Arcsail.

As he finally began to hear heavy footsteps from the stairwell on the opposite side of the hallway, Tyler dropped the grindstone back into his pocket and picked up an especially sharp javelin from the pile, testing the weight of the tip. He frowned as he realized the metal was Celestial Bronze, as opposed to the more easily replaced Demisteel tips on most javelins; if he lost even a little Celestial Bronze on this trip, the armorers at Delphi Academy would throw a tantrum. Best keep that one for tougher battles.

Tyler picked up two Demisteel tipped javelins and, satisfied with their construction, positioned himself with a perfect view of the stairwell. Finally seeing the dark red head of a Laestrygonian begin to peek up over the stair, Tyler cranked his arm back and let one fly.

The javelin flew just as he wanted it to, hitting the giant straight through the forehead before any sort of reaction could be given. The Laestrygonian disintegrated instantly, but two more bolted out of the stairwell, Hades-bent on ripping him apart. Tyler cursed underneath his breath; two giants, one javelin. Hadn't he heard the lead giant's orders? Tyler should've expected this to happen.

He quickly let the other javelin fly, then bent over to grab a sparring lance, expecting to have to fight up close. The second javelin impaled the next giant through the upper torso, taking it out just as smoothly as the first, but the remaining Laestrygonian didn't even slow down, offering only a roar of defiance. _What's up with these guys?,_ he thought to himself. _They act like they're fighting for their lives. Why don't they just give up?_

Tyler braced the back of his lance on the floor, ready to intercept the desperate charge, but it turned out that he didn't have to. As the giant obliviously ran past the adjoining hallway, an unexpected blast of fire extinguisher foam engulfed him and forced the giant onto his butt. The spray ceased, and a blond-haired girl with an overstuffed duffel bag ran out from the same direction. In a single hit, the girl bashed the Laestrygonian's head in with the heavy fire extinguisher itself. The giant's body blew apart like a very-surprised, dust-filled water balloon, leaving the hallway completely silent.

For a full five seconds, Tyler and the blonde girl stood and stared at each other, silently daring the other to make a move. The girl was wearing a red school uniform, and had pale blue eyes that followed Tyler's slightest movement to the letter. She didn't seem even slightly scared of him, despite his having a razor sharp lance against her fire extinguisher. This was obviously the Emily girl they were all looking for.

"Drop. The. Lance," she finally said, with dangerous edge to her voice.

Tyler silently obliged, mildly impressed at her correct terminology; most people would call it a spear, which by definition can be either thrown or used up close, as opposed to a lance. But two could play at this threat game. "If you're planning on rushing me, I can almost guarantee I can get two javelins through you before you make it to me."

Emily didn't waver. "Five bucks says you can't."

"Well, one of us won't be able to collect anyway. Either you brain me, or I turn you into a human shish-kebab."

"That's enough out of both of you. Seriously, Tyler, try to be professional."

Both turned to see Will and Marty standing at the top of the stairwell, Will absentmindedly playing with one of Tyler's javelins.

Emily pointed the nozzle of the fire extinguisher at Marty. "You again? What's really going on here? And if you say something about your mom, I swear to God this foam is going up your nose."

Marty looked absolutely flabbergasted, but Will just chuckled. "There's probably a story behind this, isn't there?"

Marty recovered quickly. "We're here to help you. Well, they are anyway. I'm kind of new at this, so I don't know how much help I really am-"

"Get to the point."

Will probably saved Marty from nonconsensual foam inhalation. "We want to take you someplace safe for people like us. It's an Academy for people that can..."

Will's voice trailed off as Emily's eyes widened. "You're… you're the ones that _he_ told me about? But you aren't wearing that weird red and black getup like he was."

Will was taken off guard. "I...what?"

"That man," she said impatiently. "I think he said his name was Marcus. He came to my room last week, late at night, and told me that someone was going to take me to some special school, and that I should get packed and wait for a guy with red eyes to come in a couple days."

Tyler didn't like jumping into conversations (or even participating in them), but he could tell that this back-and-forth would continue for about an hour with Will at the helm. "We don't know who Marcus is -at least those two don't- but the person he told you about is James Davince. He's downstairs beating the living crap out of a bunch of monsters sent here to kidnap you."

Emily turned back towards Tyler. "What!? Why would they-"

"That's not important right now; James can tell you himself later. We need to get you as far away from here as we can, before the more dangerous things after you get here."

Emily looked like she had about a million questions she wanted to ask, but she thankfully seemed to understand that Tyler wasn't currently (or ever) interested in indulging her. "I'm ready to go; everything I need is in my bag. How are we getting out of here?"

Will jumped in. "That's my job! Follow me; it would be my pleasure to show you our… unique mode of transportation," he said with his usual grin back on his face.

With that, Will proceeded down the hall to the well-marked maintenance ladder, followed closely by Marty and more hesitantly by Emily. Tyler sighed; the Arcsail was only designed to seat up to five people, and unless James or Sophie got flattened into a paste downstairs (doubtful), he'd probably get stuck sitting on Will's lap for the remainder of the trip. Whoop-dee-doo.

* * *

Sophie felt like her arms were going to fall off after intercepting blow after blow from the Laestrygonian leader's assault, but the fight was finally over. She had the injured leader backed into a corner, breathing heavily and cursing deeply, while James was mopping up the remainder of the giants.

Robbed of his sword by a girl half his size, the Laestrygonian was more than a little peeved off. "What," he was able to gasp out, "what _are_ you!?"

Sophie narrowed her eyes; she didn't like the negative connotation of the "what" part. "We're demititans," she said, nodding towards James, who had just sliced the legs out from under the last giant. "You bit off more than you could chew when you challenged us. Why didn't you run off?"

The giant seemed momentarily frightened just by the suggestion of retreat. "He would never allow it. He said it would be easy; just get the Eris girl, he'd said. If we failed him-"

"Who told you about Emily?"

The giant regained his composure, and began to chuckle deeply. "You have no idea who you've just made your enemy, Elder-Bloods? That's unfortunate. I don't expect him to give you any more mercy now than the Olympian Spawn."

Sophie was taken aback by both the terminology the Laestrygonian used and what he was suggesting for her friends. "Answer my questions! Who sent you!?"

The giant's next laugh was borderline hysterical. "That's something you'll never find out, even as you rip your friends apart! The Fifth Age is nearing its end!" The Laestrygonian then revealed a hidden dagger and, before Sophie could stop him, rammed it deep into his own chest. He was still laughing as he disintegrated, leaving behind nothing but dust and unanswered questions.

James walked over to Sophie gingerly; the strength he had gained from tapping into his Titan power was slowly ebbing away, and he'd begin to feel the exhaustion that came from using it very soon. "What happened to their leader?"

Sophie, still shaken from what had just transpired, could only nod towards the dust and the dagger left behind. James swore softly as he pieced it together.

"I don't think the Swords are our only problem anymore," Sophie said quietly.

"These Laestrygonians… even when it was obvious that they couldn't win, they just wouldn't back down. That isn't bravery, or even stupidity -that's desperation. Who could've driven them to this?" James asked, a look of distaste on his face. He obviously already hated whoever it was.

"The same person who made those automatons in Detroit?" she guessed with a small shrug.

James tore his eyes from the dagger and limped over to the giant leader's claymore. Sophie's Damocles blade was made of a much stronger and sharper material than the Demisteel sword (all Damocles blades were made from a rare isotope of titanium, precision cut for maximum durability and power; even godly metals couldn't stand up to them in terms of strength or hardness), which was evident in the massive gashes and chips in the Laestrygonian's sword.

"Best not to leave this here," James said with forced cheerfulness.

"It's actually a pretty good weapon, when used correctly," Sophie said dully. "When we get back to the Academy, Will can make it a force to be reckoned with."

James lifted the the handle, but -as he was exhausted by his recent burst of power- he had to drag it along the floor back to Sophie. "Please help me with this," he said in a strained voice.

Sophie still had enough power to heave the claymore onto her shoulder, as the giant had done. James put a reassuring arm around Sophie's shoulders (careful to avoid the blade).

"Hey, nothing bad's going to happen, remember? We'll both make sure of it now."

Sophie sighed helplessly, then received a brief premonition image that showed a blonde girl sitting on their Arcsail. And Tyler sitting uncomfortably on Will's lap, oddly enough. "I really hope you're right, James. Let's get back to the ship; it looks like the others found Emily without us."

"Finally, some good news for a change," James said with a smile, as the two demititans walked out the shattered doors.

* * *

**A/N: Cool stuff all around, I hope! Please review if you liked it; I should probably add that you _don't _have to have an account to review, as long as I O.K. it on my account. Which I have. So don't let that stop you account-less readers from giving me compliments, critiques, suggestions, and telling me how I did. It really makes my day, and I try to reply as soon as I'm able to if I can PM you! Later!**

**P.S.: I freaking loved using the word "flabbergasted" and the phrase "nonconsensual foam inhalation" (as if there's such a thing as "consensual foam inhalation") in this chapter, and I hope you freaking enjoyed reading them!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Chapter Five time! Hope you enjoy it! Thanks to Invisia for her wonderful review; I appreciate every one of these reviews you guys take the time to write. Before I begin, I want to tell you guys about an awesome story I read this week on this site. It's called "Burning Embers", by Acaeria, and if you like my style of writing, and want to see that kind of style around the original characters of Rick Riordan's books, I highly suggest you go read it. SO many stories on this site fail to retain the spirit of the books (it's actually the reason I enjoy using my OC's instead of Rick's- I don't want to screw his up!), but this one... wow. Check it out, guys; you won't be disappointed.**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

"What do you mean you 'don't have a signal'!?" Andrew asked angrily.

The communications techie (a satyr with a droopy face and a pot-belly) looked slightly agitated. "I honestly don't know-"

"This is the year 2030, for Iris' sake! Even the mortals can get everything they need from practically anywhere, yet you can't 'get a signal'?"

"Restrain yourself, Andrew," Steven said wearily. "They're obviously trying their utmost. Billy, can you attempt to Iris-message our friends?"

The satyr shook his head sullenly. "All we have is a general idea that they are nearing us fast. Without a definite location, we can't attempt to do anything like that. I'm actually really concerned that our equipment can't get a lock on them; we haven't had a problem like this in a very long time-"

"_You're_ concerned!?" Andrew started, "You should be! Our friends are out there flying headlong into what could be a trap! We don't have time for this; if you won't help us, I'm going out there myself!" With that, Andrew stormed out of the control room, Steven following while shouting apologies to the unfortunate satyr.

Andrew knew that it wasn't the satyr's fault they couldn't get the warning to their friends. But Andrew had a habit of intentionally blocking out anything that hindered him, focusing everything on the problem at hand. It was a defining trait of children of Mercury; they all were fairly impatient and hot-headed when things began to go wrong. And things were definitely going very, very wrong for Andrew at the moment.

Steven struggled to keep up with Andrew's brisk pace. "What exactly do you intend to do?"

Andrew turned his head toward him, never slowing down. "Go down to the cafeteria and get Tessa and Zach; they should be down there by now. I have a feeling we'll need a couple good shots on the Arcsail."

"It's highly improbable that anyone's going to allow you to leave while those strange objects are outside-"

"I don't care, Steven! Let me take care of it; you just meet me in the hangar bay with those two lovebirds in five minutes. We're not going to sit around and let James, Sophie, and the others take on whatever's out there by themselves."

Steven looked like he wanted to argue, then decided against it. "Good luck," Steven said as he turned into the adjoining hallway to get into the cafeteria. Andrew kept going straight, praying to his father Mercury that he'd make it in time to get his friends out of trouble.

* * *

"Where do you think Andrew is?" Zach asked Tessa casually. "He's usually down here an hour before us to down as much coffee as he can."

His girlfriend seemed preoccupied with spinning her lucky coin on the tip of her finger- a nervous habit she tended to do when waiting. Her heterochromic blue and green eyes both looked worriedly into his own. "I'm more concerned about Sophie, James, Will, and Tyler. They didn't come back last night. And now people are starting to say there are things flying around our airspace, like they're trying to keep us in."

"Why can't we just have a normal day for once?" Zach asked earnestly. "It seems like every other week we're off on some grand adventure with those guys."

Tessa laughed dryly. "C'mon, Zach. You'd hate a normal life just as much as I would. No action, no risks, no danger? I'll pass, thank you very much."

Zach smiled brightly, knowing she'd say something along those lines. "You're right, of course."

He meant it, too. Zach wouldn't take back the times he'd had with his friends- and especially with Tessa- for all of King Midas' gold. Demigods were meant to go off on risky adventures, and even if those missions were dangerous and scary sometimes, they'd always have each other to depend on. When things looked grimmest, Zach could turn to his mother Tyche and find a way through it for the others. Fortune was always on their side when they needed it the most.

Zach snapped back into reality when he saw Steven run towards them, drawing attention all around the cafeteria. "Andrew requires us to be present in the hangar in five minutes," he panted out urgently.

"Of course he does," Tessa said, winking at Zach while still spinning her coin. "What're we after this time?"

"The communication systems have failed to reach our friends, and we think they'll return soon. They'll have no warning of the objects outside. Andrew's going to acquire an Arcsail with which to assist them."

"What're we waiting for?" Zach said enthusiastically as he grabbed the coin off Tessa's finger and hopped off his seat. He and Steven jogged out of the cafeteria towards the docking bay, a slightly irate Tessa hot on their heels. Only Zach could get away with taking her lucky coin without getting a black eye from the daughter of Janus.

* * *

Emily looked absolutely dumbstruck. "You're all insane."

"More insane than attacking a giant with a fire extinguisher?" James said with a raised eyebrow. "You of all people should be open to this kind of thing. The Greek and Roman gods _are _real."

After James and Sophie got back onto the Arcsail, introductions were made, stories were swapped, and now James was trying to explain the half-blood situation to Emily. He had to admit, it was a lot easier with Marty the first time around.

"In addition, you're currently cruising through the air in a flying boat. I think it's time to start accepting that not everything is what it seems."

Emily still looked very skeptical; James could tell her entire life was being turned on its head. James never had to go through this kind of revelation at her age (or ever, really), as he'd grown up with the Swords of Damocles. His dad never had to hide James' true nature from him, and it would have been totally impossible due to the Swords' connection with the Olympians. From what he'd been told by Will and his other demigod friends, it wasn't such an easy transition for others to make.

"Well, I'm definitely not one of you 'half-bloods'. My parents are both dead." Emily said angrily.

Sophie shook her head next to James. "Your mother's immortal, Emily. All of us grew up with one or less parent. We know what you've been through, and we're here to help you."

"What makes you think I need your help?" she said with increasing stubbornness. James' patience was about to reach its end when Marty unexpectedly interjected.

"Emily, I was just told this last night. I know how weird it sounds, but think about it like this: you've always been different from everyone else, right? You see these things that no one else around you can? I do too, and so do James, Sophie, Will, Tyler; and from what I've heard an entire school of people sees the world just like us. That can't be a logical coincidence. There has to be something more to it, and these guys are certain they know what that something is! They've met these Olympians, fought monsters like those giants, and they can do amazing things with the powers they've been given by their parents. At least try to accept what they're saying, and try to realize that you_ do _need their help, just like I do."

The Arcsail descended into silence, save the hum of the engines below them. James -and everyone else- was struck silent by this kid who, just a day ago, didn't even know who he really was, but who had already come to grips with the changing world around him. James knew then and there that Marty wasn't just another demigod; he had a feeling Marty was fated to be a lot more.

Will broke the silence in a very Will-esque way: "Marty, I think I'm in love with your voice."

Everyone on the ship bursted out laughing, even Tyler (who -after Will offered to stand- got his own seat, much to everyone's relief). With the tension effectively broken, Emily relaxed into comfortable silence for the time being, leaving Marty open for a question that seemed to be on his mind for awhile.

"James, back in the commons… what did you do when the giants closed in on you?"

His question brought James back to the fact that he was still incredibly sore from the fight, and his stomach felt like it had been forced into his ribcage. "You already know that half-bloods can get abilities from their parents. Well, the Titans are -at least in their divine forms- incredibly massive and strong, even compared to the Olympians. Even though demititans aren't necessarily large in stature, we are physically very strong due to our lineage, and when we get injured or stressed, we can tap into larger reserves of power in ways similar to what you saw. There's a drawback, though; it's absolutely exhausting to do it, and we could die if we push it too far."

Marty looked concerned by that last fact. "We shouldn't have let you fight those things, then. We should've regrouped to a more easily defended area and let you recuperate while Will and Sophie took care of the giants. Any soldier that is in that kind of risk should stand down, for his own good as well for the safety of the group."

James was impressed by Marty's tactical reasoning, but at the time James wasn't worried about his use of Titan power. He'd been in plenty of tougher spots than that. "I don't usually have to use that power, but when I do, I can't afford to hesitate like that. Time was of the essence, concerning both the dangerous nature of my power and how long Sophie could hold them off. But you're usually right; falling back would be the smartest thing to do. You seem to know your stuff for a rookie,"

Marty smiled. "Thanks… I think. I studied a lot about strategy back home; those notebooks I brought with me are full of that kind of stuff. I know that's no substitute for an actual fight, but the basics are all the same. Minimize risks and exploit weaknesses."

Sophie zoned out momentarily (an indication of foresight), then smiled with relief. "We're almost at the Academy! Marty and Emily, you're both really going to want to see this!"

* * *

Andrew was having a less-than-stellar time bribing the two hangar workers.

"Twenty drachmas each. I'm not going any higher. I'm only asking for a short trip."

The wind spirit, otherwise known as an _Aurae_, in charge smirked. "It seems like you're more desperate to get out there than you're letting on. Make it twenty-five and some mortal change, and I might consider it."

"Twenty one. Final offer."

"Do I hear a twenty-three?" his satyr partner chimed melodiously.

"Alternatively, I could just knock you both out, get my Morpheus-kid friend to wipe your memories, then tell the Headmaster you two were absent at your posts. Twenty drachmas."

Both of the workers scowled. "Fine," the _Aurae_ said, "but we're not helping you with takeoff. You're on your own from here."

"Glad to do business with you," Andrew said with a roguish smile. The dock workers stepped aside just as Steven, Tessa, and Zach ran up to him.

"Got us a ship," Andrew said cheerfully. Steven looked like he wanted to discuss this further, but Tessa and Zach each gave a thumbs-up and strolled past, sniper rifles strapped to their backs. Steven quickly got over his concerns and followed, with Andrew taking the rear.

The Arcsail that Andrew "procured" was one of the fighter models, slightly altered with gunner platforms extending from the sides. Tessa and Zach strapped themselves into these platforms and began assembling their rifles as Andrew started the engines. While he wasn't as mechanically-inclined as Will, by working cooperatively with Steven they were able to get the Arcsail ready to fly in a relatively short time. As the two dock workers opened the cargo doors, Andrew slowly maneuvered the Arcsail through the opening and out into open skies.

Reinforcements were on the way.

* * *

Marty had gone through a lot in twenty-four hours. He'd seen a Cyclops, flew in a flying boat, and been told that he was the son of a Greek goddess. What he was now seeing looming in front of them trumped all of that twice over, easily.

"Is… is that the Academy!?"

Will smiled in front of him. "We're currently twenty miles outside of the city of Duluth, Minnesota. And that, my friends, is Delphi Academy."

The marvelous, massive thing floating in front of them looked like a steampunk dream come true. The entire structure centered around what looked to be a mountain peak cut clean off, polished smooth, turned upside down, and was now suspended a thousand feet in the air. The thing was much wider than it was tall, giving the impression that it was more bowl-shaped than just a big rock. At the bottom of the object, Marty could see blue light emanating from just underneath. He realized with a start that this thing was either propelled by magic, some other supernatural power, or maybe even by some sort of massive engine in the center.

Smaller platforms-each with their own blue light beneath them- jutted out of this gigantic rock, held to it by long, reinforced metal bridges that gleamed radiantly in the sunlight, giving the entire thing a shining complexion. On these platforms rested numerous buildings, facilities, and lawns, just like one would see in any non-flying school (this somehow amazed Marty just as much as the rest of the Academy). A maze of pipes, tubes, and pistons circled around the center structure, all moving and twisting with unfathomable complexity. The structure was probably half a square mile in area, and Marty was absolutely speechless.

Marty felt something deep inside of him -that recurring innate feeling he had when he came to accept what Sophie had first told him. He immediately felt a connection to the colossal structure in front of him, sensed that he somehow belonged there. This could be a home to him now.

Someone patted him on the shoulder from behind. Marty vaguely deduced that it was James, though his mind was completely enthralled by the sight of Delphi Academy. "I felt the same way the first time I saw it. It's absolutely brilliant on a clear day like today. You're going to love it here, I promise."

Marty nodded slowly. Returning to the reality around him, he noticed that Emily was nodding too.

"Beautiful," she said slowly. "Maybe you aren't all crazy after all."

Sophie spoke up. "It was originally designed off of Aeolus' palace ten years ago. The other demigod camps have complex magical defenses or a standing army to protect themselves from monsters, but the founders of the Academy wanted something absolutely fool-proof to keep the students out of danger. They built their school in the skies, where nothing can get to us. Monsters on the ground don't have a chance, and flying monsters get shot down by the automated ballistae systems inside."

"My dad's never going to believe this," Marty was finally able to say.

Tyler had a bewildered look on his face. "Guys, why is there an Arcsail coming out to meet us?"

Sophie squinted towards the incoming ship, shielding the sunlight from her eyes with her hand. "It looks like they're in quite a hurry. What I want to know is what those things surrounding them are."

Marty didn't realize _they_ were also surrounded until it was far too late to run away.

* * *

"If you have a shot, take it!" Andrew shouted to Tessa and Zach. His friends replied by simultaneously firing and clipping the wings of two of the automatons flying towards them. The two gargoyle-like machines struggled to remain in the air, but the aim of the two demigods was perfect; the automatons careened downward while emitting a piercing grinding sound.

The other six automatons hovered farther away, seeming to size up their prey. Each one was made of dull grey metal and were armed with razor-sharp talons and wings. Though their wings were their primary source of flight, orange emission exuded from the bottom half of the automatons, most likely for stabilization. Solid blue eyes gleamed from their bird-like faces as they stood their ground well away from the Arcsail.

They weren't far enough. A second volley from the two demigod gunners sent a third automaton into a downward spiral.

"That was my target!" the couple shouted simultaneously at each other. Andrew couldn't help but chuckle, despite the circumstances; those two were apparently hardwired for each other.

Turning his attention back to the Arcsail Will and the others were in, Andrew lightly elbowed Steven, who was sitting next to him with an old-timey pirate spyglass. "How are they handling things on their end?"

"They seem to have only recently discovered their situation. Naturally, they're already putting up quite the fight; I think Will just jumped on one of their backs."

Zach whistled from his perch. "I'm curious to see how that'll turn out."

Steven retracted the spyglass. "As am I. Regardless, they definitely will need our assistance. More of those mechanical monstrosities are approaching from the north."

As if on cue, the five flying automatons around their ship veered around and shot towards the other Arcsail, apparently thinking it was a weaker target. Andrew tightened his grip on the rigging and maneuvered their Arcsail to follow, eager to help their friends.

* * *

After fending off one of the machines with one of Tyler's pikes, Marty took a brief respite to assess the situation.

About a dozen metal gargoyles were assaulting the Arcsail, tearing at the rigging and plating and generally making things very chaotic. Marty had no idea where Will went, but he could've sworn he was dragged off the side of the ship by one of their enemies. Sophie and James were doing their best to defend the Arcsphere control mechanism, which the automatons somehow seemed to know was vital in keeping them aloft. Tyler, Emily, and Marty himself were trying to keep the machines away from the mast with pikes, but there were still massive tears in the sails.

The fight seemed hopeless for them. The demititans were able to take out a couple each, but they were still vastly outnumbered, and more automatons were on the way. As the Arcsail began to stall from the repeated attacks on its engines, Marty realized that they needed a miracle if they were going to get out of this alive.

That miracle came in the form of a bullet that blasted the head off the flier Marty was holding at bay. Marty turned to see the Arcsail they'd seen earlier speeding towards them, automatons fleeing and getting shot down all along the way. The automatons flocking around their Arcsail -deciding it was now a lost cause with the other, more heavily-armed ship bearing down on them- retreated, and the ship pulled up right next to theirs, giving Marty a good view of their saviors.

Two teenagers -a Hispanic guy and a girl with wild, frizzy brown hair and heterochromic eyes (one blue, one green)- were sitting in special platforms jutting out of the side of the ship, rifles in hand. At the front of the Arcsail, a tall blonde guy with glasses was holding a rapier, waving it around like it was a conductor's baton. Piloting at the back of the ship was a short brown-haired kid wearing a mischievous grin.

"Thought you could use some help," the short guy said plainly.

"Took you long enough, Andy!" Sophie cheered.

The blonde guy looked into the ship, fixing his gaze on Marty and Emily. "We were led to believe you'd be escorting _one_ new student, Davince."

"It was a two-for-one deal," James said with a small grin; then his face became very serious. "Is this your idea of 'rogue automatons', Steven? 'Not a serious problem?' We've been attacked twice now by these things!"

The guy looked puzzled. "The automatons I observed in Duluth weren't fractionally as dangerous or well-made as these-"

"Guys," Emily interjected worriedly, "Where's Will?"

"Over here!" a voice cried out far to the other side of the Arcsail. Marty looked over and almost had a heart-attack for the umpteenth time that day.

Will was perched on top of one of the flying automatons, a variety of multi-colored wires in hand. Will's other hand was deep inside the unfortunate machine's head, and he seemed to somehow be controlling it. Marty watched dumbstruck as Will slowly glided the thing five feet above their Arcsail, then allowed it to drop with a dull thud onto the deck.

The Hispanic gunner gave a thumbs up to Will. "Nice entrance, buddy."

"I try," Will said with an exhilarated smile on his face. "But man, these things are _awesome_ when they're not trying to kill us! I could really get used to flying this thing around the Academy; their aerial capacities are extraordinary!"

"That's great and all," Tyler spoke up, "but we're not safe yet. More of those things are coming from the north."

Tyler was right; Marty could already begin to make out the shapes of the fliers coming towards them.

"Our laconic friend is correct," Steven said as quickly as he could while retaining his odd, sophisticated speech. "We can resume our discussion at a later time, James."

"Of course," James stated, though the grim look on his face never wavered.

Will quickly got back into the pilot seat and turned their Arcsail towards the Academy. With the two gunners (hastily introduced as Tessa and Zach) shooting down anything getting too close to them, the two ships were just barely able to make it to the area Will deemed to be inside the Academy's ballistae range before their pursuers gave up, shrieking indignantly in their grinding manner.

But Marty learned his lesson; it wasn't until the two Arcsails were slowly gliding into the hangar that he breathed a sigh of relief. They finally seemed to be safe.

* * *

**A/N: It's about time you guys got to see Delphi Academy! As usual, review and follow if you liked it. Later!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Alright, I just pulled an all-nighter in order to present this to you guys as best I could, so some feedback would be really appreciated. Nine people are following this story, yet I've only got six account people giving a review. Believe it or not, I know how to do basic math, and that doesn't add up. I'd think the people who actually like the story enough to follow it would have the courtesy to review as well. I should tell you all that it's totally up to YOU if I'm going to continue the series after AoD, so please take the time to review if you liked it, or want to help me out in some way. Thank you to Thein276 for her incredibly informative and enlightening review, and I thank the anonymous guest reviewer (first one on this story; let that be an inspiration to other accountless viewers) for their recommendation to Commentarius, a Harry Potter Fanfiction that's apparently narrated in a similar way to the Princess Diaries (I wouldn't know). It was amusing, and I enjoy many Harry Potter stories, but that one's not really my cup of tea. Nonetheless, thank you.**

**You are all going to be formally introduced to what is, in my opinion, my best chapter. It is also my longest, and gives insight to the Sword of Damocles situation James and Sophie have been plagued with. No action, unlike the last two chapters, it's mostly commentary that (I hope) is interesting, as it is pivotal to the plot. Hope you all enjoy it!**

**PS: The Headmaster _is _the same Gwen seen in _Son of Neptune_, just to avoid confusion.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

The five red-cloaked Swords of Damocles stood silent, impassive, as they surveyed the scene around them. The glass front doors of the boarding school were completely destroyed, and mortal police were everywhere, no doubt trying to piece together what had happened in their own way.

To Damian, one thing was obvious: the reason he had come was no longer here.

Marcus, his fellow High Blade (a title given to the three leaders of the Swords), stepped forward. "The girl was definitely here," he said calmly, "I made sure of it."

"I know, Marcus," Damian replied.

"I could take a look-"

"You've done far more than enough," Damian cut him off, "but _I_ want to see this for myself. Jacob and Xavier, stay with the High Blade. Vanessa, come with me."

Damian had a reason to keep Marcus away. Marcus and his son Noah were acting very strange lately. He'd even been told that the two wanted to reopen the Davince case. The mere idea made Damian's vision turn red; as far as he was concerned, there was nothing to reopen. James Davince would still pay with blood for his crimes, and nothing Marcus could say would change that.

The murder of two High Blades wasn't something that could be forgiven.

The five Swords went their separate ways, Damian and his half-sister Vanessa striding toward the building while Marcus was left under the watch of the remaining two. Damian and Vanessa almost made it all the way to the building before a policeman tried to stop them, moving in front of them in an attempt to explain that the area was closed.

"This doesn't concern you, Mortal," Vanessa said with Mist-laced words. "We'll be gone as soon as we're able, and then you can continue this obvious drunk-driving investigation." Despite his general disliking for his underhanded sister, Damian couldn't help but admire Vanessa's quick thinking; by all appearances, the carnage in front of them could've easily been a result of some intoxicated semi-driver. Vanessa's skill with Mist-influencing was more than sufficient to convince the police, and the two Swords moved unhindered into the entryway.

The inside of the school looked even worse than the entrance suggested. The commons area looked like it was on the receiving end of an earthquake, despite Minnesota being the last place on Earth where that would happen. Tables and chairs were overturned and thrown aside, and the tile floor beneath them was shattered into tiny fragments. Most disturbing were the assorted crude weaponry lying around and the black soot-like markings on the floor, which were likely the remains of monsters.

Vanessa had a snarl of distaste on her otherwise attractive face. "Looks like the work of that 'Illusionist' we keep hearing about. His influence is growing stronger and stronger, yet we still have no idea who he is. This is infuriating! We have a reputation to uphold!"

"Chill out, Vanessa," Damian said with a grimace. "You know how our family gets when we're mad. Focus on the task at hand."

"Sure thing, 'High Blade'," she said, insubordination palpable in each syllable.

Damian began to walk forward, examining the commons and trying to ignore her usual disregard for his authority. "What do you think, Vanessa? Twenty-or-so Cyclopes?"

"More likely Laestrygonians. They swarm in cities like this," Vanessa said as she picked up a lying basketball jersey with a slash across the chest. "But it looks like they got thrashed pretty hard by someone or another. Maybe the Eris girl's still here after all."

"Doubtful. We shouldn't assume that whoever else was here would be completely unaware of the giants' intent. At least the girl's probably not in that psycho's hands…"

Damian's voice trailed off as he looked wide-eyed at the crater of shattered tile in the center of the commons. Laestrygonians didn't have the kind of power needed to pull something like that off, but Damian was all too familiar with a certain demititan who did: James Davince.

Damian struggled to control his anger amid the possibility that the despicable traitor might still be very much alive, and was now interfering with their revolution. Against his will, purple flames began to dance around his vision, threatening to drive him away from his current mission and instead pursue revenge against his former friend.

Vanessa must've understood what he was thinking while she walked to the side of him. "Damian, what did you just suggest to me a second ago? 'Focus on the task at hand?' If this is Davince or his accomplice, I'm all for gutting both them like fish, but it could just as easily been that other demititan we heard about: Tyler Raddinger."

"Right," he said through gritted teeth.

"You've been completely obsessed with finding that traitor for three years now-"

"What else am I supposed to do!?" Damian spat out, allowing himself an outburst of painful emotion trapped inside him for all of those three years. "That… that _monster_ killed my dad, then did the same to _his_! He probably would've killed Marcus too if he had the chance, and then where would we be!? All those years we fought with him? Meaningless. False. He turned against everything he pretended to believe in his entire life and tried to seize power for himself! I _hate_ him, Vanessa! I won't rest before his screams reach Tartarus, shortly before I personally throw whatever remains of his soul into the void!"

Vanessa, for once, seemed to be taken aback by her half-brother's uncommonly intense anger. Damian didn't care anymore. They all knew how he felt; he was just confirming his own animosity. He meant every single word of what he'd said.

"You're starting to sound like Mom," Vanessa said quietly.

Her comment made Damian's blood run cold. The fire in his vision began to subside as he began to grasp the truth in what she was saying. How different was he from her now?

"I… I'm not like her, Vanessa," he said gravelly, hoping he was right. "I do hate Davince, but this… this is justice, not just revenge. James needs to pay for what he's done. If we don't put everything we have into finding him, the things that the Swords of Damocles stand for mean nothing."

Vanessa recovered quickly. "I get it, Damian. Just don't push it too hard. We have a job to do first. Besides, you know how our family gets when we're mad."

Damian allowed a thin smile to show on his face. Vanessa may have been a jealous, selfish, and occasionally cruel sister, but she was _his _jealous, selfish, cruel sister; Damian may not always _like_ her, but he couldn't help but care about her (at least in moments like this, where she was actually approachable and not despicable).

"What's our next move?"

Damian straightened himself, regaining his solid, impenetrable composure. "Did you see the exhaust marks outside in the parking lot?"

"You think I'd miss something like that? I find your lack of faith in me disturbing. Obviously whoever took this 'Emily' girl had an Arcsail."

"What would you recommend?" Damian asked as they walked back out the shattered front doors.

"I think it's time we took a little trip to a certain Academy I'd love to tell you about…"

* * *

"You should've known better than to trust those hangar workers," James grumbled to Andrew as the two of them, Sophie, Will, Marty, and Emily were all escorted towards the Headmaster's office.

"They're gonna regret it. I was nice enough to offer twenty drachmas to those jerks!"

"Glad to see how much you value our lives, Andy," Will said from behind. "How much is that, five drachmas for each of us?"

"Three and some change, counting Marty and Emily," Sophie stated dully.

James looked back towards the two new students taking the rear. Both were taking in their new environment, from the passing gym students carrying swords and bows, to the walls covered with posters and fliers promoting clubs and student organizations with names such as the "Satyr Wilderness Protectors" and the "Armor-Smithing Club." Apparently those things weren't very common in mortal schools. _Quite a shame, really_, he mused.

"Don't worry, guys," James reassured Marty and Emily, "Headmaster Gwen probably just wants to meet you two, then you can leave to the dorms. _We're_ the ones with some explaining to do."

"Are you sure?" Emily asked nervously. "From what I've heard, I wasn't exactly a planned enrollment." James could tell she was already getting used to the Academy, a common occurrence for new students; it's hard to go back to a regular school after being in the presence of such an awesome place.

"Don't worry about it," Sophie said helpfully, "The Headmaster's a real sweetheart when it comes to new students. They're like her children."

"How does she see older students?" Marty asked.

"It varies, but I highly suspect she wouldn't mind shooting Andy and Will out of a cannon," James said with a smirk.

The two demigods in question looked momentarily indignant, then laughed and high-fived each other. The two often (daily, really) collaborated to construct pranks for their own amusement, and they were usually in a state of constant detention when they got caught, much to the Headmaster's chagrin.

"This place should be fun," James heard Emily whisper to Marty. Marty whispered something in agreement, and the two of them laughed amongst themselves. James was reminded of his and Sophie's very similar reaction to the Academy when they arrived over two years ago. One thing was different though: Marty and Emily weren't on the run from a crime they didn't commit, and they weren't almost passing out from relief at finding a place that seemed to be safe from their pursuers. The thought put a sour taste in James' mouth, even though he was still happy for the two demigods.

Sophie nudged his shoulder softly and gave him a knowing glance. Was it possible that she was thinking the same thing? Neither of them liked to dwell on those dark days before coming across the Academy, but with the danger of the Swords reappearing in their lives, it was hard (for James, at least) to avoid thinking about those times. Who knows when he and Sophie might have to start running again…?

James shook himself out of it. Delphi Academy was probably the safest place on Earth for demigods, and he'd grown to love his new home. If the Swords really came, he'd stand and fight _here_, not some dingy alley like the one he was ambushed in. For his sake as well as Sophie's, he couldn't start to consider leaving this place and his demigod friends behind.

"We're almost at the Headmaster's office," Will say as James returned to the present. "Andy, you got any ideas on how to weasel out of this?"

Andrew turned to Mr. Florence, the demigod teacher escorting them. "Mr. Florence, how do you feel about becoming ten drachmas richer today-?"

"Don't even think about it."

"Worth a shot. Time to face the music," Andrew said sullenly.

"Hey, at least you broke the rules to _help_ us this time. We'd probably have been hurtling to the ground without your conniving behind. We seriously owe you one," Sophie said gratefully.

"Good point," Will added. "She's bound to give you a little slack for that little tid-bit of info."

"Let's hope," Andrew said as they came to a stop in front of the office doors. Mr. Florence knocked lightly on the door. The Headmaster's voice sounded calm behind the door. "Let them in, Mr. Florence. You're free to resume your class."

The teacher nodded -despite the Headmaster probably being unable to see him- and walked off, leaving the five students to enter the doorway themselves, each one silently dreading what might happen inside.

* * *

The interior of Headmaster Gwen's office was brightly lit, which eased Will slightly. He'd imagined it to be completely dark in there, with the Headmaster swiveling her chair 180 degrees around while stroking a fluffy white cat. Bond references aside, the office was the same as it always had been since Will had first seen it over four years ago: deep tan walls, windows in the back overlooking the arena complex on an adjoining Arc-Platform, mahogany desk with the simple name-tag "Headmaster Gwendolyn Mathers" sitting at the front of it. Five chairs were facing the desk, ever turned towards the Headmaster herself.

Headmaster Gwen was a forty year-old woman (though she looked much younger) with soft, intelligent blue eyes and a stern face. Her brown hair was tied back into a ponytail, and she was wearing a brown jacket over a white blouse and probably jeans, though Will couldn't see behind the desk. She didn't enjoy formal attire very much, at least from Will's perspective, but she still retained an air of elegance and authority without them. Her face was very hard to decipher as she motioned for him and his friends to sit.

"Headmaster Gwen, you look stunning today-" Andrew started, lowering himself to flattery to try to avoid the brunt of his incoming punishment.

The Headmaster silenced him with a raised hand, using the other to massage her temple. "I honestly don't have time for your usual spiel, Andrew. You know what you've done, and the sooner we get past this the sooner I can get to more important matters." Will couldn't help but wonder what was more important that hijacking an Arcsail and flying it into a group of bloodthirsty automatons.

"He was trying to help us," James said defensively. "If it wasn't for Andrew, Tessa, Zach and Steven, we would've never made it back."

"Which I understand completely," The Headmaster said calmly. "The usual sentence of three month's suspension for disregarding safety protocol and flying a bribed Arcsail into a dangerous situation will be shortened to two weeks of detention in light of your motives. I'll even refrain from informing your parents, Andrew."

"Really?" Andrew asked, obviously pleased with the conditions.

"I wouldn't want your mother to worry needlessly for you; you had an admirable grasp for the situation and, despite your usual deviousness, I know you wouldn't have done something so reckless unless you had a good reason. Which I can affirm you did. And I'm sure your father Mercury would likely take pride in your underhandedness as opposed to condemning it, so there's really no point."

"You're a saint, Headmaster."

Satisfied with the first order of business, Headmaster Gwen then turned towards the two new students. "Now James, Martin Matthews was the one assigned to be escorted today, correct?"

"Yes ma'am."

"And you found Emily Peterson at her boarding school in Minneapolis, where you say a swarm of harpies forced you to land?"

"I foresaw it, ma'am," Sophie stated.

"Of course. Emily and Marty, how are you feeling about all of this? No doubt both of you are dealing with a lot to process right now, and we'll help each of you in any way we can."

Marty smiled. "It was kind of hard at first, but I'm starting to accept this whole demigod thing. There aren't a lot of ways to explain the things that have happened on the trip over here -or over the course of my life-, but there's something about what you're all telling me that makes a lot of sense."

The Headmaster smiled brightly at Marty. "That's very astute of you, Marty. How about you, Emily?"

Emily shrugged. "I mean, Marty kind of covers it well. I wasn't really prepared for all of this, but I really don't want to go back to that boarding school. No one understood me there, and I didn't have any close friends. And this place… it's awesome. I'd choose this life any day of the week, even if there's danger sometimes."

"I'm glad that you're both taking these things so well. Would you like a tour of the Academy?"

"Yes!" both demigods said excitedly.

"Alright, please wait outside the office while I call for another teacher to show you around. You're both free to go."

The two new students got up off their chairs, said goodbye to the Headmaster and the older half-bloods, and left the office.

"I now want James and Sophie to be completely honest to me," Headmaster Gwen said, the smile replaced by a solid, unyielding stare. "Emily's discovery was no coincidence, was it." It wasn't phrased as a question.

Sophie stared straight back. "What makes you say that?"

"Enough, Sophie. Here's how I see it: two highly trained demititans appear at Delphi Academy two years ago, wearing strange red and black apparel, and possessing weapons of unknown material and origin. These demititans, while by no means showing any form of malevolence, are completely adamant on refusing to tell anything about their pasts, even to close friends like Will and Andrew here. Now these demititans have appeared at our school with an undocumented demigod in tow, claiming that a harpy swarm caused them to land their Arcsail and coincidentally find this girl, even though Delphi Academy has been tracking harpy swarms across the country and have not for over six months seen a single harpy around the Twin Cities."

"Do I not have a right to know what's going on? How am I supposed to keep these students safe if they won't allow me to help them? I've kept my silence all this time thinking that perhaps, as I earned your trust, you'd explain, but I now realize that this isn't a matter of trust for you- it's a matter of safety. You're convinced that whatever you're hiding from us is dangerous, and you wish to keep us safe by leaving us ignorant. You both fail to realize that whoever or whatever is looking for you two may try to harm the Academy in their search."

Will saw James bristle at the last sentence: "The secrets end _now_, for the good of Delphi Academy."

The tension in the room could've been cut with a knife. Sophie was adamant in holding the Headmaster's piercing gaze, while James stared at the ground, obviously struggling with the decision. Andrew looked scathingly at Sophie and James. Will figured that he wasn't the only one to be suspicious of the two demititans over the years; Andrew seemed to be expecting it as well. And Will? Despite his desire to know the truth just as much as the others, Will was starting to wonder if it was too much to ask for James and Sophie to tell them something so obviously personal to them.

The silence was finally broken when James sighed. "Andrew...you probably want to stay and hear this, right?"

"Of course I do! I've been waiting a long time for this," Andrew said, folding his arms. "If you've got something to hide, I have a right to know."

"...Yes. Yes you do. All of you do. But I need all of you to understand that Sophie and I hid this from you because it really was safer that you were left out. But now, things are starting to change, and it's no longer a good idea for the two of us to fight this alone. You'll understand when I'm done."

Sophie seemed torn between supporting James and trying to stop him. When James looked towards her, however, she made up her mind; she gave him a nod and said, "Whatever you think is the right thing to do… I'm with you. I always have been."

James looked like the world was lifted from his shoulders, and Will realized that James was actually silently asking for her permission. Whatever this was concerned Sophie just as much as it concerned him. All eyes in the room were fixed on James as he began to speak.

"I should start at the beginning. Long before anyone here was born. Have any of you heard the story of Damocles?"

* * *

"Emily," Marty pleaded quietly with her once more, "You're going to get us in trouble!"

"I don't care," Emily said brusquely, pushing her ear closer into the office door. "These people I just met are talking about me behind my back, and I need to find out why."

"I enjoy eavesdropping as much as the next guy, but it's not very smart to do it around the Headmaster," an unfamiliar voice whispered behind them.

Both demigods jumped with a start, and Marty had to clamp his hand over his mouth to avoid giving himself away. Standing behind them was a tall man wearing a pinstripe suit and holding a clipboard. Probably another teacher, but not anything like the morose teacher that escorted them to the office. This man was grinning with a mischievousness that seemed somewhat familiar to Marty, and his brown hair and beard were messy and unkempt.

Emily, ever the subtle one, put her hands on her hips and advanced on the teacher. "Are you gonna tell on us?"

"Heck no," the man said, retaining the grin. "Curiosity probably didn't kill the cat, but not being careful certainly did. Watch yourselves next time, or you might get caught by someone less forgiving."

"Who are you, some kind of teacher? You certainly don't act like one." Marty was startled by Emily's lack of respect for this man, but the teacher just chuckled.

"No, I guess I don't. Never would've pictured myself in this job at your age, but I digress. My name is Mr. Stoll. I'm here to escort you two on your tour."

Emily seemed to relax slightly. "Okay then, Mr. Stoll. Escort us. I want to see where those guys with swords were going."

Mr. Stoll chuckled again. "I don't suppose I'm going to get a 'please' from you. Wonderful. I assume you were talking about the students going to P.E."

"_That's_ P.E. in this school?" Marty now spoke up.

"Yup. I hope you two are into that kind of thing. I assume the firecracker with the attitude problem is, but what about you?"

Emily scowled at the remark, but Marty couldn't help but smile. This teacher was alright in his book. "Totally. Please lead the way, Mr. Stoll. By the way, my name is Marty, and that's Emily."

"You've got manners, Marty. That'll take you surprisingly far in a world where one peeved-off god or goddess can seriously ruin your day. Follow me."

The two demigods proceeded, thoughts of eavesdropping apparently forgotten by Emily, as this strange man began to initiate them into their new home.

* * *

Everyone, including Sophie looked horrified when James was finally done. It was at that point where he realized that, though his voice had remained firm, tears had begun to stream down his face. _No doubt they think I'm worthless,_ he thought miserably to himself, wiping the tears away with his sleeve. T_hey know what I'll really do if one of them is in danger. They think I'll just sit there and watch them die, then run. I don't blame them._

His thoughts were suddenly broken by the sensation of one of Sophie's extra-strength hugs. He felt her tears run down his back as she almost knocked his chair over. "James, you aren't a coward. You're the bravest person I've ever met, and if you ever say otherwise again, I'll beat you up. Got that?"

"Sophie…" he started to say, but he was cut off by Will, who walked over and put his hand on James' shoulder. "Sophie's right. Gods, I told you to tell me _that_? You deserved to keep that to yourself. I'm so sorry, James."

Andrew came over, too. "Dude… same here. I can tell the last thing you want is pity, but we _are_ here for you. Don't forget that."

James felt completely overwhelmed. He just told them his darkest secret, his weakest hour, and they still thought he was brave? They were still his friends? The relief of that second fact made him speechless.

The Headmaster now spoke up. "James, you have truthful friends, and those are the best kind. Please don't think you're alone. I completely understand why you kept this hidden now, and if you want, we can stop talking about this now-"

"No," James was finally able to say. "_This_ is why I'm telling you this now. Everything that's starting to happen now is because of _this_."

"Fine," Sophie said as she released him, "But let me do the talking from here. You've said enough. Please." James didn't argue; he didn't want to, either. He sat back in his seat, trying to recover what was left of his composure for his friends and headmaster. He couldn't let them worry about him anymore.

"Where does this connect back to Emily?" Andrew asked.

"James ran into Noah just yesterday evening. Noah had said that the Swords have devolved since the loss of two of the original High Blades. Damian replaced his father as High Blade, along with an older Sword named 'Micah' filling Mr. Davince's place. For some reason, Noah said that the Swords have turned against the Olympians, and are now looking for a weapon to use against them. To get it, they need the help of a child of Eris. Emily."

"Hm," Andrew wondered thoughtfully. "Headmaster, do you have any idea what this weapon might be?"

"I'm afraid I don't have the slightest. But it's obvious that the weapon of a goddess like Eris would be devastating. Olympus could indeed be threatened by it."

"Then we need to keep her safe! I mean, not that we wouldn't have before, but now we really need to keep an eye on her!" Will suggested enthusiastically.

"Indeed," Headmaster Gwen nodded sagely. "Sophie, James… you did the right thing by telling me this. I can promise that no ship will reach Delphi Academy without being triple cleared by me personally. I'm sorry that this burden was yours to carry alone for so long. Especially you, James."

James straightened himself, refusing to take her pity- sincere as it was. "I'll be fine. Maybe someday I can go back and set things right, but right now, the best thing to do is to wait for this Eris business to blow over. I can't focus on the past, and there's nothing I can do about it. But I _can_ make sure Delphi Academy doesn't suffer because of what happened."

"We're here for you, man," Will said standing up.

"I know. But guys… the others-"

"Won't hear a thing until you want them to," Andrew insisted.

James let a smile spread across his face. Will, Andrew, and even the Headmaster were on his side now. And Sophie, the closest thing he still had to family, wouldn't ever let him down. Maybe things would start to look up for him now. They had a fighting chance; one that he wouldn't squander.

He had no way of knowing that his past was coming to get him, and things would get a whole lot worse before they got better.

* * *

**A/N: Curse the feels in this chapter! Even this altered version is a little dark around the end, but far less revealing than the original. Just the way I want it.**

**As awesome as I am as a narrator, these A/N's are starting to get repetitive and boring. So from this chapter on, the A/N's will be narrated by various characters in the story, such as Will, James, Marty, Sophie, etc. Tune in next time, my loyal fans!**


	7. Chapter 7

**James: Alright, we're back with an actual chapter this week. **

**Sophie: Speaking of which, where's Grandmaster?**

**Tyler: He's sitting in a fetal-position in the corner. Poor guy's exhausted.**

**James: I'll bet. He kept going on and on about how he "let his readers down" with the original version of Chapter Six.**

**Marty: I honestly don't see what the big deal was. I wasn't even there.**

**James: He just really rushed about my whole "past" business. He's really sorry, guys. Please forgive him.**

**Emily: And review while you're at it! This guy works his butt off all week to write this while doing homework and working his new job. Some accountless viewers even reviewed last week (A/N: Thanks, you two. I really appreciate it), so there isn't much excuse not to if you enjoy it!**

**Steven: Your manners are terrible. They have no obligation to do so-**

**Emily: WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON!?**

**James: Cool it. These readers are getting impatient. Chapter Seven time.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

"This is _way_ better than kickball in the gym," Emily said with a grin, looking out onto the scene in front of them.

Mr. Stoll (the cool yet slightly aggravating teacher giving the tour) had led Emily and Marty into the athletic complex by crossing an epic open-air metal bridge attaching the main aerial structure to another floating platform reserved solely for the athletic complex. The three were now at the front end of the track, looking out at a glorious sight that could only be described by Emily as "football... except with _freaking swords and shields". _

"What you are currently witnessing," Mr. Stoll explained, "is a game of Demigod Football. It's exactly how it looks: no ball, just one team trying to get to the other side and the other team trying to stop them. Four downs, first down at ten yards, and when the other team takes down the quarterback, it's considered the end of the down. High contact sport, as you can see."

The last comment was affirmed as one of the defending players slammed his shield into the upper body of an offensive player. The unfortunate lineman was sent reeling, and the defensive player shot through the gap and clashed swords with another player (presumably a half-back). Similar conflicts were erupting across the lines, with wide-receivers and safeties exchanging volleys of blunt arrows and crossbow bolts and the quarterback attempting to find an opening to sprint through and gain a few more yards.

"I have _so_ many questions about this," Marty said with his usual scholarly attitude. Emily didn't comment, but this guy was starting to get annoying. Couldn't he just appreciate the ensuing chaos like she did? Apparently not.

"Questions are always fun." Mr. Stoll responded. "But I think you can learn the ins-and-outs of this later."

"So, everyone in this school is some kind of half-god?" Emily inquired.

"Yup, even most of the teachers. I'm actually a son of Hermes."

"That's the Greek form of Mercury, right?" Marty interjected. "I thought you looked familiar. One of the kids in the Arcsail that saved us looked a lot like you, and he said he was a son of Mercury."

Mr. Stoll's face lit up. "My little half-brother Andrew, right? Should've known he'd be the one behind that business with the Arcsail. But yeah, we're both sons of the messenger god. Call my dad whichever you prefer; he really doesn't care much these days."

"He's also the god of thieves. It's kind of funny that your name's Mr.'Stole'." Marty said with a smirk.

The teacher shook his head slowly. "I have no idea why everyone thinks that passes as humor. Ironic, maybe. Anyway, here comes the athletic coach. Sup, Malcolm!"

The teacher walking towards them was a larger man with blonde hair and startlingly gray eyes. He was wearing a strange mix of a green T-shirt and tan shorts underneath a steel breastplate and other assorted pieces of armor. Emily had seen such armor at a museum once; it was worn by ancient Greek hoplites, according to the plaque on the display case. The man looked slightly annoyed to see Mr. Stoll.

"What have I told you about using my first name around students, _Travis_?" the man asked exasperatedly to Mr. Stoll.

"My bad, Mr. Kuriger," Mr. Stoll said, though he didn't seem very concerned. "These two are new students, and I wanted to show them around the Academy. Meet Martin Matthews and Emily Peterson."

Mr. Kuriger gave the two demigods a small smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. Please enjoy the rest of your tour-"

"Oh no you don't," Mr. Stoll said with a snicker. "You're not getting rid of me that easily. Don't you think it would be a good time to show them the armory? New students always need beginner weapons."

"Absolutely not," Mr. Kuriger began.

Emily couldn't contain herself at the thought. "We get to use weapons like them?" she said, pointing to the players.

"Eventually. But most students learn during an actual class," Mr. K said with a pointed glare towards Mr. Stoll, who just shrugged it off.

"Never too late to start. These particular students have already been through quite a bit on the trip here, and I think getting them some skills for defending themselves would pay off in the long run. Right, kids?"

"Definitely!" both demigods agreed, much to Emily's relief. Marty wasn't such a square after all.

Mr. K sighed. "Alright, I suppose a beginner's lesson wouldn't be too dangerous with two teachers around to assist. Please follow me; the armory is just around the field. And you _are_ going to help, Mr. Stoll. No running off."

"Alright, alright. Who do you take me for, anyway? In the future, please try to stay professional, _Malcolm_." Mr. Stoll said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Mr. K shot a dangerous look at Mr. Stoll and began walking briskly towards the other side of the complex, a snickering Mr. Stoll and the two amused demigods in tow.

* * *

All thoughts on the exhilarating game outside were immediately drowned out by the armory. It was a dream come true for Marty.

It seemed like every weapon that has ever existed was present in the massive armory, from English war-bows circa 1200 C.E. to Arabian scimitars used six centuries before. Firearms ranging from colonial muskets to AK-47s were line up on rack after rack at the back of the entry room. A dominant portion of the weaponry originated from the ancient Greco-Roman armies, round hoplon shields and leaf-shaped xiphoi swords representing the Greeks and rectangular scuta shields and pila javelins from the Roman armies. Marty saw signs leading to other rooms in the armory, presumably all filled with any type of weaponry, armor, gear, and ammunition a military buff like him could imagine.

"Welcome to the Delphi Academy Armory," Mr. Kuriger said with pride. "All weapons and armor were made right here at camp by students and our crafts teacher Mrs. Smith. Please don't handle any of the weaponry without Mr. Stoll or myself assisting you. We don't want another Infirmary visit for awhile."

As Marty and Emily both rushed off to examine each of the weapons for themselves, Marty overheard Mr. Stoll comment, "I'm starting to like these two."

Both of them headed to a room on the left, dedicated to medieval weaponry according to the sign. Swords, axes, and spears of various lengths and types hung on the walls, reflecting centuries of warfare between European powers. Marty and Emily went to different sides of the room to look for a weapon to try out.

Marty examined a fifteenth-century rapier, and noticed that the metal it was made of wasn't anything he'd seen before. It seemed brighter, cleaner, than steel or iron, and it glistened in the light. "What are these weapons made of?" he asked Mr. K, who had just entered the room after them.

"It's a mixture of regular steel and trace amounts of godly metals like Celestial Bronze or Imperial gold. Since those metals are getting less and less common these days, Roman engineers led by a woman named Hazel Levesque created the compound about ten years ago. We call it Demisteel. It's actually a lot like us half-bloods: part divine, part mortal."

"What do you think of this?" Emily asked behind them.

Most people, when imagining an axe, would describe it as a crude, ugly looking thing; good for cleaving a head, but not exactly a pretty weapon like a sword. The weapon Emily was currently holding definitely didn't fit that usual description. A smooth, simple leather grip rested firmly at the end of the two-and-a-half foot metal shaft, engraved with markings similar to Norse runes. The two-sided axe head was broad yet sharp at the edges, elegant in design considering it was a weapon designed for hacking a limb off. It looked like a good weight for Emily to use effectively, not too heavy to be cumbersome yet heavy enough to still do a number on a well-armored enemy. All in all, it seemed perfect for someone like Emily.

"I can tell you're going to enjoy that one," Mr. Stoll said from the doorway.

"I think you're right," Emily replied with a wicked grin. "Let's try this beauty out!"

"Marty, have you found something to try out?" Mr. K asked patiently.

"I kind of like this one," he said motioning to the standard-designed rapier he was previously examining. It had a three-foot long, one-inch thin blade; perfect for stabbing, but it could just as easily be used for slashing with the sharpened length (though the relatively fragile design encouraged stabbing moreso). The complex basket-hilt crossguard was designed to protect the wielder's hand and forearm, and the overall lightness of the weapon made it a quick and easy weapon to use.

"Alright, let's get you two into some training armor!" Mr. Stoll said cheerfully. Marty groaned internally; he already knew how heavy and cumbersome metal armor was, and it would take away from the speed advantage his rapier gave him. He was pleasantly surprised when Mr. K emerged from an adjoining room rolling out two mannequins fitted with light leather body armor.

Mr. K must've sensed Marty's relief. "Don't worry, metal armor is only used for sports. It's far too heavy to expect new students to wear, and it takes almost an hour to put on some of the more complex sets. Leather armor will suit our needs. Now, these sizes should suffice for you two. Put these on over your clothes, and meet us outside."

Mr. K was right: the leather was light and flexible, and in five minutes he and Emily were more-or-less properly prepared for some practice. Marty couldn't believe he was learning how to fight like the other half-bloods. His inner demigod was making its appearance again, pumping him up for something that a normal person would experience serious doubts over. He intuitively knew this was something he had to learn for his own good, so he might as well enjoy it.

"Ready?" Emily asked him as she fastened the last strap on her right greave.

"Let's do this," he said with a grin, letting her go first out the door. Manners always came first.

When the two headed out of the armory door, they were greeted with new -or rather, old- company. James, Sophie, and Will were all conversing pleasantly with Mr. K and Mr. Stoll. When they noticed the two demigods, the three older half-bloods walked over to greet them.

"Hey, guys!" Marty said enthusiastically, hoping that they still had no idea that Emily was trying to eavesdrop on them not even a half-hour ago. Emily herself crossed her arms in a display of cold apathy, obviously still ticked off that they were trying to hide something from her. Sophie and James both lifted an eyebrow at this, but apparently didn't think anything of it as Will remarked on their choice of weaponry.

"A rapier, Matthews? I saw you as more of an archer-type, but I guess it still suits you well. And that axe there's a nice one, Emily! Probably one of Mrs. Smith's works. I can tell you're going to like it."

"People love telling me that," she said calmly, never taking her eyes from James and Sophie at the side.

'Are you guys practicing with Mr. K?" Sophie asked politely, coolly returning Emily's stare-down. "He's a great teacher, so don't worry about getting hurt or anything. We'll be watching from the arena bleachers."

"Don't you students have classes to go to?" Mr. Stoll inquired as he and Mr. K walked towards them, swords strapped to their backs.

"The Headmaster wants us to take the rest of the day off. We're all kind of exhausted," James replied. Marty could attest to that; James looked like he could use a break. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes were so bright crimson that it hurt Marty's eyes to look too closely. Marty wasn't sure if it was because of his recent fights, or something else...

"Let's go," Emily said dismissively. She strode off towards the arena at the back of the outdoor complex, the teachers close behind. Marty was about to follow when James held him back.

"Hey, is there something up with Emily? She seems sort of angry."

Marty felt torn between telling them what happened and keeping it a secret for Emily. He quickly decided on a middle road. "I don't think she's really comfortable around here yet. Back at her boarding school, she told us about some man she met who talked about you, James. Tyler said she would get an explanation for it soon, so maybe she's just angry that she's not in on it yet."

James looked even more burdened by that. "Yeah, I'll do that after your practice. She really should know. Go ahead after them; we'll be right behind you."

Marty turned and jogged after Emily, suddenly wondering if there was an ulterior motive for keeping an eye on them.

The arena was designed off of the original Roman Colosseum, albeit on a much smaller scale. The floor was covered with fine sand to cushion falling fighters (and soak up blood, as some sources claimed). Fighting dummies and additional racks of weapons were off to the side, waiting to get beaten down by the gathering gym students, who had finished up their game moments ago.

"You folks get a break today," Mr. K said loudly, referring to the other students. "We're going to train in these two now."

Assorted shouts of relief erupted from the small crowd. They were removing their helmets and armor, and the amount of sweat showed their efforts in the game. Marty realized with a start that these students were around his age; he might be fighting with them soon enough. He needed to make a good impression.

Mr. K and (to a smaller extent) Mr. Stoll then began to walk through some basic thrusts and slices for Marty and Emily, respectively. Sophie was right about Mr. K; he really knew what he was doing, and guided the two students to move in a way that was both comfortable yet effective. Marty could tell that more training with him would definitely help. He was feeling pretty confident by the time Mr. K said, "Okay, we're going to do a mock fight now. I'll take Marty, and Mr. Stoll will fight Emily. We'll go easy, of course, but actual fighting is important for improvement."

The idea made Marty incredibly nervous. All these people, including James, Sophie, and Will in the stands, were probably going to see him make a fool of himself. So much for a good first impression.

Emily, on the other hand, looked stoked to take on Mr. Stoll. Maybe she was still sore about the "firecracker" remark, or one of the other harmless jokes from Mr. Stoll. Whatever the reason, she took a fighting stance facing the teacher, who had unsheathed his sword during the demonstrations and now mirrored Emily. Marty had no choice but to do the same with Mr. Kuriger. He could at least show them that he wasn't a coward.

* * *

"How do you think they're going to do?" James asked the other two in the bleachers.

"Not sure," Will stated, "but don't expect too much. They're still new at this. Remember Chloe's first fight?"

The three chuckled at the memory of the twelve-year old daughter of Morpheus' first demonstration two months ago. Physical combat definitely wasn't her cup of tea, and it was hilariously evident when the three witnessed her early struggles in the arena. Chloe had been included in their group of friends: James, Sophie, Will, Tyler, Steven, Andrew, Zach, and Tessa. They were an odd bunch, all things considered, but the nine stuck together as friends and rivals alike.

"Alright," Mr. K shouted out to the crowd, "Let's give a hand for these two! Gods know most of you didn't have the guts to do this your first day!" The last remark was received with general indignation, but they clapped regardless; Mr. Kuriger was actually pretty correct on that. With that, the two duels began, Emily charging at Mr. Stoll and Marty advancing more hesitantly towards Mr. K.

Neither of the teachers tried to press an offensive, as usual. This first fight was always about assessing a new student's potential, so the teachers always tried to play a defensive game to see how the student would react. Already, James could see a stark difference in Marty and Emily's fighting styles.

Emily was constantly trying to break through Mr. Stoll's technique, to the point of recklessness. She was giving everything she had into each strike, which would've worked excellently against someone less skilled. But Mr. Stoll, despite officially being a history teacher by profession, was a very capable fighter, and he blocked or dodged everything that was thrown at him. Emily was getting increasingly tired and frustrated as their duel continued. All in all, it was a full-offensive assault with little regard for defense, which was a common problem with new students. James still had to give credit to Emily's abilities; the combination of speed and accuracy in her individual attacks was admirable. With a little more training regarding defense, she would be an excellent fighter.

Marty was assuming a far more balanced approach towards fighting Mr. Kuriger. He paced his attacks out, looking for openings and varying his stabs and swipes at different angles. Mr. K wasn't giving him anything to capitalize on, though. As the athletic teacher _and_ a son of Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy, he was probably the best swordsman in the school (despite many students' insistence that the title went to James, Sophie, or Steven), and as meticulous as Marty was, he didn't stand much of a shot of Mr. K slipping up. Marty was starting to make a number of mistakes, obviously losing confidence after realizing the futility of trying to fight such an experienced opponent. James was thoroughly impressed by Marty's natural talent and moderation, but if Marty couldn't learn to keep his cool, he wouldn't reach his full potential.

"Maybe I spoke too soon," Will commented. "They both seem really good for rookies!"

"Yes, but they both certainly need more training," Sophie replied wisely. "Emily's way too reckless, and Marty's too hesitant."

"Yeah, but still! They've got some potential, that's for sure. _Way_ better than Chloe already."

James wasn't paying attention. Something in the air felt off somehow. The others apparently didn't notice, but James could sense some kind of change in the atmosphere, almost a malevolent cloud. He somehow knew it had something to do with Emily, the girl that everything seemed to revolve around lately. He paid close attention to the unclaimed child of Eris.

Emily's assault had become near frantic, wild swings aimed in the general direction of Mr. Stoll as she began panting heavily. One particular lunge dodged by the teacher sent Emily forward and off-balance. She promptly tripped and fell onto the ground, crying out angrily. Mr. Stoll reached to pull her up, but then something stopped him. He doubled over as if he were in pain, holding his head in his hand as if he'd inflicted with a massive headache, and began shouting angrily and swinging his sword around violently. Emily looked shocked, and began to back up slowly as Mr. Stoll turned towards Mr. Kuriger, a wild look in his eyes. He was oblivious to Mr. K's confused demands, advancing forward with menacing intent

Gasping, James stood up and looked around the rest of the arena. Various students were starting to experience similar symptoms, lashing out against their classmates and growling like animals. James could finally put a name to the atmosphere that had enveloped the arena, an aura that seemed to be emanating unintentionally from Emily: Chaos. Pure, unfiltered madness from Eris herself, that was now starting to drive the students and Mr. Stoll berserk. And it was spreading fast; Mr, Kuriger was now defending himself from dual attacks from Mr. Stoll and Marty, both under the spell of discord.

This needed to stop, before someone got hurt or worse. A thought suddenly sparked through his mind, something his mother had told him the last and only time they'd met: _"You're a force of order, James. As my son, you have power against chaos, in all of its forms. Only you can restore the order that you need, rectify the injustice that has happened. This is my gift to you; use it well." _

James could make this stop, if he moved quickly. Emily needed to be controlled to stop the strife rapidly enveloping the students in the arena. "Stay here," he told Sophie and Will, "or you'll start going berserk, too. I think I can stop this."

Sophie looked like she wanted to argue, but Will nodded numbly, stunned by the scene unfolding around them. James didn't have time to debate this with Sophie, so he took Will's response as their collective approval, leapt over the barrier in front of them, and landed solidly on the arena floor.

The next two minutes were a blur of motion and combat. James kept Avenger as a gauntlet, blocking the flailing limbs coming towards him, pulling maddened students off of each other, and stunning them with punches. Anything to get closer to Emily. At least most of the students were unarmed; he eventually ran into Marty, who was seconds away from impaling another student. James grabbed the rapier as it came towards the other student, redirected it into the ground, and elbowed Marty in the head with his free arm. He went down like a brick. James had to take a second to rest and push the unease out of his mind; beating up fellow students was starting to affect him, make him weaker to the aura of discord. It was then that he saw Emily, looking around in horror at what she was unintentionally causing.

"Emily, you have to control yourself!" he shouted over the yelling and growling crowd. "You're causing this!"

"I...I know!" she sobbed. "I don't know how this happened! I don't know how to stop!"

James ducked in time to avoid a slice from Mr. Stoll. He now had to keep talking to her as he fought. "YOU HAVE TO FOCUS, EMILY! I think I can get them back to normal, but you have to stop giving them fuel! Think of something that gives you power -something that gives you strength-, and use it to gain control! You can do it!"

James sidestepped past another hack from Mr. Stoll. James then hooked his foot around the back side of Mr. Stoll's leg, and sent the teacher to the ground. Hard. He turned, unaware of Mr. Kuriger looming behind him, and got a backhand slap to the side of the head, sending him reeling backwards.

Something must've clicked in Emily's mind at that point. She ran forward and swung her axe to intercept Mr. K's sword as it arced towards James. "STOP FIGHTING! NOW!" Emily roared in defiance. James felt the aura dissipate and fade away, leaving the maddened students and teacher without influence, but still berserk. Emily had done it; it was all up to James now.

James thought back to all the disorder and injustice that had happened to him throughout his life: he'd been forced away from everything he'd ever known, accused of a crime he hadn't committed, and chased around the country for months by friends that now hated him. A torrent of anger, outrage, and force assaulted him, but he needed to channel that into something to dissipate the chaos around him, not intensify it. He thought to his friends: Will, Andrew, and especially Sophie, who cared about him and wanted to help. All wasn't lost; he could still set things right, but he needed to give it everything he had. This thought overwhelmed all the others, and he imagined that sense of resolve, will, and order passing over everyone around him, holding them down and beating the chaos out of their hearts.

Suddenly, everything changed. A sharp, crisp clarity seemed to pass over the arena, forcing the fighting demigods into silence. Mr. K dropped his sword, and the rest of the students collapsed in fatigue, panting and gasping, but no longer fighting. Marty, Mr. Stoll, and other demigods injured in the fight rose slowly into a sitting position, looking confused and scared. James knelt on the ground, feeling a terrible pain in his head, but he was overwhelmed with relief.

James looked towards Emily. "We did it. They should be fine now," he said shakily.

Emily didn't seem to care. Her hands were shaking, and tears were forming in her eyes. "What...what happened?" she asked in a small, trembling voice. "Who am I?"

It was then that a glowing symbol appeared over her head. Every eye in the arena, even from the exhausted fighters, was now fixed on the image of a golden apple fixed between two crossed swords now hovering above the newly-claimed demigod.

"You're Emily Peterson. The daughter of Eris," James was able to say before darkness enveloped his sight. He vaguely felt someone rush over and catch his head before fading away, his power completely spent.

* * *

**James: (cringing) Ouch.**

**Sophie: Yeah, that escalated really quickly.**

**[All turn towards Emily]**

**Emily: ...My bad.**

**Marty: Did _everyone_ get messed up in this chapter!?**

**Zach: Actually, just you, James, sort of Emily, and a host of secondary characters.**

**Mr. Stoll: Secondary!? I take offense to that!**

**Mr. Kuriger: I agree. We're actually pretty pivotal to this story!**

**Sophie: We'll just see, won't we? Alright readers! Review, follow, favorite, PM. Do everything to keep us and this story alive.**

**Tessa: Yeah, alive would be great for us. Show the love, people.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello again. If you're reading this expecting it to be the next chapter this week, go back to Chapter Seven; it's been updated for the actual chapter. So apparently the story doesn't get back up on the front pages of the site unless you add a whole new chapter, so I'm just going to add some random hoopla onto this, then rewrite, rinse, and repeat for next week. If mods catch me (which I kind of doubt, oddly enough), so be it. This is only temporary until one of two things happens: either I pull off a miracle and write two chapters in one week someday soon, or I get some mutual P.M's/snippets of reviews (I don't want full reviews dedicated solely to telling me the following) that say that people will understand if they have to just trust me and check the story itself in a week without it being on the front pages.**

**So anyway, there's a poetry contest going on at my school, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to get some unbiased opinions on what I'm going to try to submit. Said opinions can be in the form of reviews or P.M's, but I'd like SOMETHING, guys. From ANYONE. PLEASE. Now enjoy.**

* * *

_**Why Are We Here?**_

**Questions that have baffled the greatest minds of our age:**

**"What is our purpose? Why are we here? Who are we at the core?"**

**Some say we're here to love, to obey a God we can't see or feel,**

**To bow down and accept what's been given without complaint or worry.**

**Others say that we're nothing more than animals, granted gifts of thought and reason by an unfeeling universe,**

**To simply live as an anomaly of the odds, a by-product of a natural process we call evolution.**

**Still others say that we're here to learn, to accumulate wisdom and truth through labor,**

**And share what we've come to know with the rest of the world.**

**Yet others say that we're here to struggle, to fight, to defy the natural order,**

**To grapple with our fates and die with a sword in our hands.**

**Or that our purpose is to free ourselves of this meaningless, imperfect world,**

**To transcend the state of pain and stress and rise away in a state of peace and tranquility.**

**And others say that we're here to help others, to aid the sick and protect each other,**

**To give up ourselves and our ambitions, sacrifice who we are for those in need.**

**Finally, there are some that believe our purpose is to gain immortality in our own world,**

**To be remembered through righteous actions, memorable words, incredible monuments, and beautiful truths.**

**Have we ever wondered if we were all right?**

**Perhaps we're here to do all of those things, and a million more, if we want.**

**There's something incredibly beautiful and simple about what that idea would suggest:**

**Man was made with no purpose; so we make our own.**

* * *

**A/N: Well, what do you think? Good? Bad? Inspiring? Go ahead and give me your feedback by next week. Later!**


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